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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mate — a partner
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. mate — a friend
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. present — a gift
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bark — to shout
  13. perch — the fish
  14. date — the fruit
  15. band — a music group
  16. present — there
  17. band — a ring
  18. mate — to breed
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. press — a publisher
  23. saw — the tool
  24. press — to push

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