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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. plane — a tool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fall — the season
  10. ground — a position
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bound — obliged
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. prune — to trim
  16. press — to push
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bound — tied together
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bound — certain
  24. prune — the fruit

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