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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 116 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — clothes
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. capital — money
  9. saw — the tool
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. press — a publisher
  12. row — to paddle
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. capital — a city
  17. row — a line
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. suit — to fit
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. lean — to bend
  24. mine — for digging

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