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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. press — to push
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bark — to shout
  7. key — the most important part
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. press — newspapers
  10. clip — a video
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. clip — for paper
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bound — certain
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bound — obliged
  19. key — for a lock
  20. ball — a dance
  21. press — a publisher
  22. key — in music
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bound — tied together

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