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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bark — to shout
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. press — newspapers
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. degree — temperature
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bound — certain
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. clip — a video
  17. bound — obliged
  18. press — to push
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bound — tied together
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. degree — an amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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