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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. key — in music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tear — to rip
  12. key — for a lock
  13. press — to push
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bank — for money
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bank — for money
  22. bark — to shout
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bank — of a river

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