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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.

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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: ball · press · bound · bark · bore · clip · net · cue

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. net — in sport
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bore — to drill
  6. press — newspapers
  7. net — after costs
  8. press — to push
  9. bound — obliged
  10. net — for catching
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bound — certain
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bore — to tire
  16. cue — a hint
  17. clip — to cut
  18. cue — for pool
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. ball — a dance

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