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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: bark · file · nail · pitcher · bass · content · branch · mate

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bass — low music
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. file — a tool
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. file — a document
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mate — a partner
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. content — happy
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. file — a line of people
  23. content — the amount
  24. branch — a division

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