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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 124 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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bear — the animal
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. spell — letters
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. snap — to click
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. spell — magic
  17. press — a publisher
  18. chest — of your body
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. chest — a box
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. press — to push
  24. bark — to shout

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