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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. press — newspapers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cold — not warm
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bear — the animal
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. press — to push
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. march — music
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bark — to shout
  17. press — a publisher
  18. march — the month
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. march — the month
  24. cold — an illness

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