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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. march — the month
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. root — of a word
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. season — of the year
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bark — to shout
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. branch — a division
  15. root — the cause
  16. march — music
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. season — in sport
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. march — the month
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. press — to push
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. root — of a plant

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