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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. land — a country
  8. bark — to shout
  9. tear — to rip
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. press — to push
  12. land — ground
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. content — happy
  16. land — to come down
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. content — the amount
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. press — a publisher
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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