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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. key — for a lock
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bark — to shout
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rash — hasty
  10. spring — a coil
  11. press — to push
  12. spring — of water
  13. tear — to rip
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. press — newspapers
  18. key — the most important part
  19. track — a song
  20. tear — from crying
  21. spring — the season
  22. key — in music
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — a practice

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