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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. wind — moving air
  3. root — of a word
  4. cell — in biology
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bass — low music
  10. root — the cause
  11. tube — a container
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wind — moving air
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. tube — the underground

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