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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. band — a ring
  4. net — in sport
  5. press — to push
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. net — for catching
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wind — moving air
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stock — shares
  13. band — a music group
  14. mug — a cup
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. press — newspapers
  18. net — after costs
  19. mug — a face
  20. stock — goods
  21. mug — to rob
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bark — to shout
  24. wind — moving air

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