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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. spell — magic
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bass — low music
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. press — newspapers
  11. foot — a measure
  12. press — to push
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bass — the fish
  17. press — a publisher
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. fan — a supporter

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