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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 120 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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. press — a publisher
  4. object — an aim
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. pop — music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. press — to push
  13. wind — moving air
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pop — soda
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. key — in music
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wind — moving air

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