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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. charge — a price
  3. press — a publisher
  4. spell — letters
  5. charge — electricity
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. press — to push
  8. game — a match
  9. charge — in control
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. wax — to grow
  13. spell — a short time
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. game — wild animals
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mug — a face
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. spell — magic
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wax — for sculpting

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