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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: foot · stand · straw · press · wound · rule · land · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. press — a publisher
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. press — newspapers
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. stand — to bear
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. land — to come down
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. rule — government
  14. press — to push
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rule — a law
  21. land — ground
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. land — a country

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