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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. perch — the fish
  4. prune — to trim
  5. band — a music group
  6. fine — all right
  7. pop — to visit
  8. face — to confront
  9. fine — high quality
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. press — a publisher
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pop — music
  21. press — to push
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pop — soda

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