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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. cap — a hat
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bound — tied together
  11. fork — in a road
  12. press — a publisher
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rush — hurry
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bear — the animal
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bark — to shout
  20. press — to push
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bound — certain

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