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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. press — a publisher
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. chest — a box
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. game — a match
  17. bark — to shout
  18. chest — of your body
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. press — to push
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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