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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. spring — the season
  3. press — newspapers
  4. spring — a coil
  5. plane — a tool
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. march — the month
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. press — to push
  11. march — music
  12. press — a publisher
  13. march — the month
  14. net — in sport
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. spring — of water
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. scale — in music
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. net — for catching
  22. scale — size or range
  23. net — after costs
  24. bark — to shout

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