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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: pitcher · bark · can · mate · press · firm · branch · rest

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. press — to push
  2. rest — what's left
  3. press — a publisher
  4. firm — decided
  5. can — a tin
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. firm — a company
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rest — a break
  13. can — to be able to
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mate — a friend
  17. can — a tin
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. firm — steady
  21. press — newspapers
  22. mate — to breed
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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