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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — to shout
  3. content — happy
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. object — to protest
  6. face — part of the head
  7. object — a thing
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. land — ground
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. object — an aim
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. press — a publisher
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. content — the amount
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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