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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. squash — the sport
  4. plane — a tool
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. press — a publisher
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cell — a phone
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. press — to push
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bark — to shout
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. press — newspapers
  22. board — to get on
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. squash — the vegetable

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