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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: cap · bark · pop · bound · dip · staff · press · spring

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. press — newspapers
  3. bound — certain
  4. press — to push
  5. staff — employees
  6. bark — to shout
  7. spring — a coil
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. cap — a hat
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pop — music
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bound — obliged
  16. dip — to sink
  17. spring — of water
  18. staff — employees
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pop — to visit
  21. bound — tied together
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. pop — soda
  24. spring — the season

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