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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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468
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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. race — humankind
  5. swing — music
  6. mate — to breed
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. swing — to play on
  9. press — a publisher
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. tear — to rip
  14. race — a contest
  15. swing — in golf
  16. press — newspapers
  17. tear — from crying
  18. race — the arms race
  19. prune — to trim
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mate — a friend
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mate — a partner

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