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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 124 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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. press — to push
  4. hand — help
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. hand — in cards
  7. season — in sport
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. press — newspapers
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. content — happy
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. content — the amount

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