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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. press — to push
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. staff — employees
  5. game — a match
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. game — wild animals
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wound — an injury
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bark — to shout
  15. scale — size or range
  16. hand — in cards
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. press — a publisher
  20. hand — help
  21. press — newspapers
  22. wound — an injury
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. scale — in music

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