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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. object — to protest
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. press — to push
  8. mark — a grade
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bore — to tire
  13. object — an aim
  14. press — a publisher
  15. snap — to click
  16. object — a thing
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. mark — a trace
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bore — to drill
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pitcher — a jug

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