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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 120 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. clip — to cut
  4. press — newspapers
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. squash — to crush
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. bound — certain
  10. bark — to shout
  11. tube — the underground
  12. clip — for paper
  13. squash — the sport
  14. press — to push
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bound — obliged
  17. dip — to sink
  18. clip — a video
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. tube — a container

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