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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. can — a tin
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. capital — money
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pop — soda
  10. press — newspapers
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. can — a tin
  13. capital — a city
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. lean — thin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — of a tree

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