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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bear — the animal
  5. kid — child
  6. court — for sport
  7. bark — to shout
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bank — of a river
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bear — the animal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bank — for money
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. court — of law
  18. press — to push
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. court — of a king
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bank — for money
  24. calf — a young animal

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