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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. press — to push
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a word
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. prune — to trim
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mate — to breed
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. press — a publisher
  15. root — of a plant
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mate — a partner
  19. saw — the tool
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. press — newspapers

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