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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. court — for sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bound — obliged
  7. court — of law
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. court — of a king
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bark — to shout
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. press — to push
  15. bound — certain
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. press — newspapers
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bark — of a tree

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