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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. press — to push
  6. mate — a friend
  7. spring — the season
  8. hand — help
  9. spring — of water
  10. bark — to shout
  11. hand — in cards
  12. press — newspapers
  13. mate — to breed
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stand — to bear
  20. mate — a partner
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. stand — on your feet

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