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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 116 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: game · row · firm · net · branch · kick · track · bark

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. firm — a company
  3. track — a path
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. net — for catching
  6. game — wild animals
  7. firm — steady
  8. net — in sport
  9. track — a song
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. track — to keep track
  12. branch — a division
  13. kick — in football
  14. game — a match
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. net — after costs
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. row — a line
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. row — to paddle
  21. firm — decided
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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