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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · cell · snap · board · firm · press

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bark — to shout
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. board — to get on
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. cell — in biology
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — decided
  10. cell — a phone
  11. press — to push
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. press — a publisher
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. snap — to click
  16. firm — a company
  17. press — newspapers
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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