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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. tube — a container
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rash — a series
  8. band — a ring
  9. face — to point toward
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. lie — to recline
  14. rash — hasty
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. face — to confront
  18. bark — to shout
  19. perch — the fish
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. face — part of the head
  24. band — a music group

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