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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. drill — the tool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — for pool
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bark — to shout
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. drill — a practice
  13. object — to protest
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. prune — to trim
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. press — a publisher
  18. object — a thing
  19. bound — obliged
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. object — an aim
  22. press — to push
  23. prune — to trim
  24. press — newspapers

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