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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. bark — of a tree
  2. row — a line
  3. press — newspapers
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bear — the animal
  10. press — to push
  11. cold — not warm
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. row — to paddle
  18. fork — in a road
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. fall — the season
  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