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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. press — to push
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. bark — to shout
  7. scale — in music
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. sharp — clever
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bass — low music
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. press — newspapers
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bass — the fish
  21. press — a publisher
  22. band — a music group
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bass — the instrument

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