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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. drill — a practice
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bark — to shout
  6. press — a publisher
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. hand — help
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. drill — army training
  12. hand — in cards
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. press — to push
  19. mark — a trace
  20. plane — a tool
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. drill — the tool
  24. mark — a grade

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