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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. plane — a tool
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. press — a publisher
  7. rest — a break
  8. press — to push
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bark — to shout
  14. dip — to sink
  15. track — a song
  16. band — a ring
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. track — a path
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. track — to keep track
  21. press — newspapers
  22. lean — to bend
  23. rest — what's left
  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