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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. spring — a coil
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. content — happy
  14. saw — the tool
  15. row — a line
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. spring — the season
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. row — to paddle
  20. saw — the tool
  21. content — the amount
  22. spring — of water
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bark — a dog's sound

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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