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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. press — a publisher
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bank — for money
  7. press — to push
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. fork — in a road
  10. snap — to click
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. press — newspapers
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bank — for money
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bank — of a river
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wave — of the sea

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