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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. branch — a division
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. root — the cause
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. root — of a plant
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. press — a publisher
  13. spell — letters
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. press — to push
  16. root — of a word
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. spell — a short time
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bark — to shout
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. straw — a straw man

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