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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. rash — a series
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bass — the fish
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. rash — hasty
  19. press — a publisher
  20. ground — a position
  21. bass — low music
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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