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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 120 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: leaves · arm · sharp · spring · bark · lie · press · nail

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. press — to push
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. press — a publisher
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. spring — the season
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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