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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. prune — to trim
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hand — help
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. press — to push
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bat — the animal
  15. press — newspapers
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. temple — a place of worship

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