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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: press · rest · wound · patient · fall · bay · bark · bore

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rest — a break
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bark — to shout
  9. press — a publisher
  10. rest — what's left
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. press — to push
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. press — newspapers
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. fall — the season
  22. bore — to tire
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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