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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. ground — a position
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bank — for money
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pop — to visit
  9. ground — crushed
  10. mark — a trace
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bank — for money
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. press — to push
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pop — music
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. press — a publisher
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mark — a grade

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