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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cell — a phone
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. press — newspapers
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. clip — a video
  15. press — to push
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. cell — in biology
  24. clip — to cut

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