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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rock — music
  7. hand — help
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. press — newspapers
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bore — to drill
  15. press — to push
  16. rock — a stone
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bark — to shout
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. clip — a video
  22. bass — low music
  23. press — a publisher
  24. clip — to cut

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