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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. lean — thin
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. press — newspapers
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. press — a publisher
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. band — a music group
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. chip — to eat
  15. lean — to bend
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. chip — for betting
  21. tear — to rip
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. tear — from crying
  24. band — a ring

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