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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. press — a publisher
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bark — to shout
  8. face — to confront
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in biology
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spell — a short time
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — a measure
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. press — to push
  23. shower — to wash
  24. face — to point toward

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