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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 120 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. net — for catching
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. press — newspapers
  13. fall — to drop
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. ball — a dance
  16. prune — to trim
  17. press — to push
  18. net — after costs
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ball — a great time
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. press — a publisher
  23. net — in sport
  24. bark — of a tree

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