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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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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: court · branch · bark · bay · straw · clip · foot · cap

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. cap — a lid
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. clip — to cut
  13. cap — a hat
  14. foot — a measure
  15. clip — for paper
  16. cap — of ice
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. court — of law
  23. clip — a video
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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