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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. rash — a series
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. capital — money
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. press — newspapers
  16. snap — to click
  17. capital — a city
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bark — to shout
  20. rash — hasty
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. deal — to handle
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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