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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 · deal · mate · net · branch · saw · game · pop

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. mate — a partner
  5. net — after costs
  6. mate — to breed
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. net — in sport
  10. bark — to shout
  11. saw — the tool
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pop — music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. game — a match
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — to visit
  22. net — for catching
  23. branch — a division
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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