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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. craft — boats
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. current — of water
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. press — a publisher
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. tear — to rip
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bark — to shout
  14. tear — from crying
  15. current — electric
  16. press — to push
  17. current — happening now
  18. tear — from crying

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