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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 120 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. row — to paddle
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. spring — a coil
  9. press — newspapers
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. spring — of water
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — government
  20. bark — to shout
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. row — a line
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. straw — a straw man

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