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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. hand — help
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wake — a trail
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. hand — in cards
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. object — to protest
  12. field — a subject
  13. object — a thing
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. rush — hurry
  19. field — for sport
  20. deal — to handle
  21. object — an aim
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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