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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 124 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. spell — magic
  3. bark — to shout
  4. row — to paddle
  5. spell — a short time
  6. press — to push
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rash — a series
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. spell — letters
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. row — a line
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. wake — a trail
  24. row — a quarrel

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