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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bark — to shout
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bound — tied together
  9. prune — to trim
  10. sharp — clever
  11. row — to paddle
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. row — a line
  15. bound — certain
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. press — to push
  24. row — a quarrel

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