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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wound — an injury
  5. swing — music
  6. key — in music
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. swing — to play on
  9. press — newspapers
  10. vault — a safe
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. press — a publisher
  13. band — a music group
  14. key — the most important part
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a ring
  17. key — for a lock
  18. press — to push
  19. rash — a series
  20. bark — to shout
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wound — an injury
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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