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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. press — to push
  5. wound — an injury
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. craft — boats
  9. rule — a law
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wake — a trail
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. press — a publisher
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — a skill
  16. rule — government
  17. wound — an injury
  18. prune — to trim

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