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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — to paddle
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. swing — to play on
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. press — newspapers
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. swing — in golf
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — for paper
  16. press — to push
  17. bark — to shout
  18. clip — a video
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. lean — thin
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. swing — music
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. row — a line

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