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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. press — newspapers
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. degree — from a university
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. bark — to shout
  10. degree — an amount
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. press — a publisher
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pound — a weight
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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