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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 116 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bank — for money
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. scale — in music
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. press — to push
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bank — of a river
  13. key — in music
  14. bank — for money
  15. key — for a lock
  16. scale — size or range
  17. press — newspapers
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. key — the most important part
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. leaves — lets stay

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