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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — in biology
  5. band — a music group
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. can — a tin
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. club — a group
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. club — for dancing
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — thin
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. can — to be able to
  17. club — for golf
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. snap — to click
  21. band — a ring
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. can — a tin
  24. bark — to shout

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