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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bark — to shout
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. club — a group
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. branch — a division
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. press — newspapers
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. lean — to bend
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. lean — thin
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. press — to push
  21. press — a publisher
  22. club — for golf
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. snap — to click

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