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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: press · leaves · bark · net · wave · arm · game · rash

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. game — a match
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. press — newspapers
  14. net — after costs
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. press — to push
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bark — to shout
  24. arm — part of the body

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