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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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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: bay · cell · perch · bark · charge · kid · press · net

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bark — to shout
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. net — in sport
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. charge — in control
  10. net — for catching
  11. cell — in biology
  12. kid — child
  13. charge — electricity
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. charge — a price
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. cell — a phone
  21. net — after costs
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. kid — to tease
  24. press — to push

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