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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. press — a publisher
  4. hand — in cards
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bulb — for light
  7. staff — a stick
  8. hand — help
  9. staff — employees
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. staff — employees
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. object — a thing
  20. press — to push
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bark — to shout

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