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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: mine · pop · chair · club · stand · roll · branch · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. pop — soda
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. stand — to bear
  8. branch — a division
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. pop — to visit
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. pop — music
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. roll — a cake
  15. chair — a leader
  16. roll — a list
  17. club — for golf
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. club — for dancing
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. club — a group
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bark — to shout

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