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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: roll · can · jam · bark · ruler · branch · kid · cold

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. roll — a list
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. can — a tin
  10. cold — not warm
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. kid — to tease
  13. roll — a cake
  14. cold — an illness
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bark — to shout
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. kid — child

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