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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. drill — the tool
  4. hand — in cards
  5. press — to push
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. prune — to trim
  9. drill — a practice
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. drill — army training
  13. bark — to shout
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. spell — magic
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. prune — to trim
  21. sharp — clever
  22. hand — help
  23. stand — to bear
  24. press — a publisher

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