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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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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: ground · scale · ruler · bark · hand · club · dip · press

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. ground — the earth
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. press — to push
  7. club — for golf
  8. hand — in cards
  9. press — newspapers
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. scale — in music
  12. press — a publisher
  13. dip — to sink
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. ground — crushed
  17. hand — help
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. ground — a position
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bark — to shout

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