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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. land — a country
  4. fall — to drop
  5. staff — employees
  6. press — to push
  7. firm — steady
  8. hand — in cards
  9. firm — decided
  10. staff — employees
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. staff — a stick
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. fall — the season
  16. firm — a company
  17. land — ground
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bark — to shout
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bore — to tire
  22. hand — help
  23. land — to come down
  24. bark — of a tree

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