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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fork — in a road
  5. club — for dancing
  6. staff — employees
  7. press — to push
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cell — a phone
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. staff — employees
  14. club — a group
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wake — a trail
  21. press — newspapers
  22. staff — a stick
  23. club — for golf
  24. chair — a professorship

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