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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: bark · press · content · tube · chair · squash · branch · bay

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. branch — a division
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. press — a publisher
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. content — the amount
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. press — newspapers
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. press — to push
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. chair — to sit on

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