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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. file — a tool
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mug — a face
  8. press — to push
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. file — a line of people
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. fine — all right
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. fine — high quality
  17. press — newspapers
  18. file — a document
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bark — to shout
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. mug — to rob

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