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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: game · press · nail · racket · spell · bark · capital · bound

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. press — newspapers
  4. game — a match
  5. bound — obliged
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. game — wild animals
  8. press — a publisher
  9. spell — letters
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. capital — money
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bound — certain
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. capital — a city
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bound — tied together
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. bark — to shout

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