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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: spring · bass · bark · saw · rule · nail · wind · press

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. spring — a coil
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. spring — the season
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. press — a publisher
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bass — the fish
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. press — to push
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spring — of water
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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