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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cell — in biology
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. hand — help
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. press — to push
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bark — to shout
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. press — a publisher
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bass — low music
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cell — a phone

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