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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. mark — a trace
  7. press — to push
  8. spell — magic
  9. mark — a grade
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. spell — letters
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. press — a publisher
  17. hand — help
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bank — for money
  24. press — newspapers

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