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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. club — for golf
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. club — a group
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. saw — the tool
  7. track — a path
  8. bark — to shout
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. saw — the tool
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. season — of the year
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. press — newspapers
  18. date — the fruit
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. track — a song
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. track — to keep track

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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