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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: bat · bark · bulb · ball · mark · game · branch · pound

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. game — a match
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bat — the animal
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. game — wild animals
  15. branch — a division
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pound — a weight
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bulb — for light
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. mark — to pay attention

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