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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. row — to paddle
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. fine — all right
  5. chip — to eat
  6. press — to push
  7. row — a line
  8. bark — to shout
  9. foot — a measure
  10. press — a publisher
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. chip — for betting
  13. fine — high quality
  14. spring — the season
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. spring — of water
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. press — newspapers
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  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