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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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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: staff · bark · press · bass · saw · land · foot · straw

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — newspapers
  3. staff — employees
  4. foot — a measure
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bark — to shout
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bass — the fish
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. press — to push
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. land — a country
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. land — to come down
  20. bass — low music
  21. land — ground
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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