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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. press — newspapers
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. last — finally
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. last — to go on
  16. bear — the animal
  17. press — to push
  18. last — final
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rash — a series
  24. bass — low music

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