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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · present · sharp · clip · mouse · branch · tube · foot

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. foot — a measure
  5. present — a gift
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. present — there
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. branch — a division
  15. present — the time now
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. tube — a container
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. clip — a video
  24. branch — of a bank

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com