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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stock — goods
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. spring — of water
  9. press — newspapers
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bark — to shout
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stock — shares
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. press — to push
  20. spring — the season
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. coach — a trainer

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