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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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Word bank
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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: sharp · press · bark · mouse · current · racket · last · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bear — the animal
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. press — newspapers
  10. last — finally
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. current — electric
  15. press — to push
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. current — happening now
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. current — of water
  24. sharp — exactly

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