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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. spell — letters
  6. press — a publisher
  7. spell — magic
  8. plane — a tool
  9. court — of law
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. press — to push
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bark — to shout
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bulb — for light
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. court — of a king
  23. spell — a short time
  24. court — 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