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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bark · arm · bear · mine · bowl · press · coach · staff

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. staff — employees
  4. mine — for digging
  5. staff — employees
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bear — the animal
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bear — the animal
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bark — to shout
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. press — to push
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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