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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. club — a group
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. club — for dancing
  6. tube — the underground
  7. club — for golf
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bass — low music
  12. cap — a hat
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. tube — a container
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cap — of ice

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