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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. field — farmland
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. press — to push
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. dip — to sink
  9. field — a subject
  10. bark — to shout
  11. press — newspapers
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. press — a publisher
  21. stem — to come from
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. field — for sport

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