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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. current — of water
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. craft — boats
  6. press — newspapers
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — to rob
  9. squash — the sport
  10. press — to push
  11. current — electric
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. staff — employees
  14. current — happening now
  15. craft — a skill
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bark — to shout
  21. staff — employees
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. press — a publisher
  24. squash — to crush

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