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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a line
  3. object — a thing
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. press — a publisher
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. file — a document
  11. shower — to wash
  12. net — in sport
  13. shower — rain
  14. object — to protest
  15. file — a line of people
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. press — newspapers
  18. net — for catching
  19. file — a tool
  20. net — after costs
  21. object — an aim
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bark — to shout
  24. press — to push

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