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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. capital — money
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. press — a publisher
  9. last — to go on
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. lie — to recline
  12. branch — a division
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. press — newspapers
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bark — to shout
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. press — to push
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. capital — a city

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