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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: toast · press · pound · staff · board · land · straw · bark

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bark — to shout
  5. land — ground
  6. staff — employees
  7. land — a country
  8. press — to push
  9. staff — employees
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. staff — a stick
  12. toast — bread
  13. board — a committee
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. board — to get on
  20. press — newspapers
  21. land — to come down
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pound — a weight

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