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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. press — newspapers
  2. face — to point toward
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. press — a publisher
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. saw — the tool
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cap — a lid
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. press — to push
  16. saw — the tool
  17. face — to confront
  18. cap — a hat
  19. snap — to click
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. cap — of ice
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. shower — rain
  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