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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. press — newspapers
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. rest — what's left
  6. field — a subject
  7. date — the fruit
  8. stock — goods
  9. ground — a position
  10. press — a publisher
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. ground — the earth
  13. field — farmland
  14. press — to push
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stock — shares
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rest — a break
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bark — to shout
  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