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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. press — newspapers
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. spring — the season
  12. stand — to bear
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. press — to push
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bark — to shout
  17. spring — of water
  18. rush — hurry
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. press — a publisher
  24. wake — a trail

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