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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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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. rest — a break
  3. land — to come down
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — newspapers
  6. march — the month
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rest — what's left
  9. saw — the tool
  10. land — a country
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rest — what's left
  14. march — the month
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. press — to push
  17. land — ground
  18. march — music

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