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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  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 — to shout
  2. cold — an illness
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. press — to push
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — a list
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. face — to confront
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cold — not warm
  21. press — newspapers
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. roll — on a roll
  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