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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. lean — thin
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. craft — a skill
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. craft — boats
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. press — to push
  24. press — newspapers

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