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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. press — to push
  3. firm — steady
  4. prune — to trim
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. firm — a company
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pound — a weight
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. wake — a trail
  15. perch — the fish
  16. ball — a great time
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. firm — decided
  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