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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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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 · cell · snap · board · firm · press · leaves · march

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. march — music
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bark — to shout
  5. cell — in biology
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. cell — a phone
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. board — a committee
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. snap — to click
  14. press — to push
  15. march — the month
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. firm — steady
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — decided
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. press — newspapers
  23. march — the month
  24. board — to get 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