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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bark — to shout
  4. net — after costs
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. can — a tin
  9. prune — to trim
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. can — to be able to
  12. press — a publisher
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. press — to push
  15. press — newspapers
  16. prune — to trim
  17. can — a tin
  18. sharp — clever
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — in sport
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. toast — bread

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