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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stock — goods
  4. can — to be able to
  5. clip — to cut
  6. can — a tin
  7. bound — tied together
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. spring — a coil
  14. can — a tin
  15. clip — a video
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. bound — obliged
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bound — certain
  21. bark — to shout
  22. press — to push
  23. bass — the fish
  24. stock — shares

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