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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 116 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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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: cell · leaves · press · capital · ground · chip · bark · rule

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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 — a publisher
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. rule — government
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rule — a law
  8. press — newspapers
  9. cell — in biology
  10. capital — money
  11. ground — the earth
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. ground — a position
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. chip — for betting
  20. press — to push
  21. capital — a city
  22. bark — to shout
  23. ground — crushed
  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