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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: press · charge · branch · spring · bark · bay · pop · spell

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. spring — of water
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. press — newspapers
  8. spring — the season
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. spell — letters
  11. charge — a price
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. pop — to visit
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. spell — magic
  16. pop — soda
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pop — music
  23. charge — in control
  24. spell — a short time

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