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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. kick — in football
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. press — to push
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. kid — to tease
  17. branch — a division
  18. band — a ring
  19. bark — to shout
  20. press — a publisher
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. kid — child

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