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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 120 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. 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. prune — the fruit
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. press — a publisher
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rest — what's left
  8. press — to push
  9. suit — to fit
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pop — music
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — rain
  14. suit — clothes
  15. kick — in football
  16. rest — a break
  17. suit — in cards
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pop — soda
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bat — the animal
  24. 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