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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 120 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. current — of water
  6. press — to push
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. key — for a lock
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. spell — letters
  11. cold — not warm
  12. key — in music
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. key — the most important part
  15. spell — magic
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. press — a publisher
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. current — happening now
  21. spell — a short time
  22. current — electric
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bark — to shout

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