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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: can · cap · coach · ball · ground · bark · press · mouse

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. ground — the earth
  12. can — a tin
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cap — a hat
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cap — a lid
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. can — a tin
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. press — to push
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cap — of ice
  24. press — newspapers

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