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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bark — to shout
  3. dip — to sink
  4. band — a ring
  5. net — after costs
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. band — a music group
  8. sharp — clever
  9. net — in sport
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. net — for catching
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. press — newspapers
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bound — tied together
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bound — certain

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