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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bark — to shout
  3. current — happening now
  4. hand — help
  5. press — to push
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. march — the month
  9. cap — of ice
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bank — for money
  12. pop — soda
  13. bank — for money
  14. march — music
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. press — newspapers
  17. current — electric
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bank — of a river
  20. cap — a lid
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. march — the month
  24. current — of water

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