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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. file — a tool
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. field — farmland
  12. file — a line of people
  13. press — to push
  14. wound — an injury
  15. field — a subject
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. file — a document
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. field — for sport
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bark — to shout
  24. dip — to sink

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