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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bark — to shout
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. press — a publisher
  8. staff — employees
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. stock — shares
  11. tear — to rip
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stock — goods
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. staff — a stick
  16. press — to push
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rest — a break

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