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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. press — newspapers
  4. row — to paddle
  5. rest — what's left
  6. press — to push
  7. content — happy
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. row — a line
  12. field — farmland
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. rest — a break
  15. field — for sport
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — to shout
  22. field — a subject
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bark — of a tree

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