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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. hand — help
  3. club — a group
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. club — for dancing
  6. prune — to trim
  7. press — to push
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. season — of the year
  11. press — a publisher
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. season — in sport
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bark — to shout
  18. club — for golf
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rush — hurry
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bank — for money

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