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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 116 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. spring — a coil
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bass — low music
  15. press — to push
  16. spring — the season
  17. degree — temperature
  18. spring — of water
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pound — a weight
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bark — to shout

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