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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: march · plane · club · press · bore · bark · dip · clip

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bark — to shout
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. clip — to cut
  6. press — a publisher
  7. march — music
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. press — newspapers
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. bore — to tire
  16. club — a group
  17. march — the month
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. club — for golf
  22. march — the month
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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