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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. press — newspapers
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. snap — to click
  6. bat — the animal
  7. press — a publisher
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. press — to push
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bark — to shout
  15. craft — boats
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. craft — a handicraft

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