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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. net — after costs
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bank — for money
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bass — low music
  19. bank — for money
  20. bass — the fish
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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