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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. band — a music group
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. mate — to breed
  10. press — to push
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. band — a ring
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bark — to shout
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. mate — a partner

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