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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. mate — a friend
  3. press — to push
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. hand — help
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bark — to shout
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. mate — a partner
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stand — to bear
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mate — to breed
  24. press — newspapers

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