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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. root — the cause
  6. press — a publisher
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. ground — crushed
  10. branch — a division
  11. file — a document
  12. bark — to shout
  13. root — of a word
  14. ground — a position
  15. file — a line of people
  16. press — to push
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. current — of water
  19. root — of a plant
  20. press — newspapers
  21. current — electric
  22. file — a tool
  23. current — happening now
  24. ground — the earth

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