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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. staff — employees
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. staff — employees
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. press — to push
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — bread
  12. branch — a division
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. net — after costs
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bark — to shout
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. branch — of a tree

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