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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. march — the month
  3. press — a publisher
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. root — of a word
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. ground — a position
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. root — of a plant
  15. march — music
  16. press — to push
  17. ground — the earth
  18. branch — a division
  19. root — the cause
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. march — the month
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bark — to shout

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