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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · rash · straw · bark · fork · key · game · perch

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bark — to shout
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rash — hasty
  6. press — to push
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. key — the most important part
  11. press — newspapers
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. press — a publisher
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — in a road
  24. straw — dry grass

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