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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bark — to shout
  3. can — a tin
  4. cell — a phone
  5. can — to be able to
  6. net — in sport
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. ground — crushed
  9. net — after costs
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bank — for money
  13. net — for catching
  14. cue — for pool
  15. press — to push
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bank — of a river
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bank — for money
  21. cue — a hint
  22. press — newspapers
  23. ground — a position
  24. press — a publisher

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