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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. mine — for digging
  3. press — a publisher
  4. key — in music
  5. net — in sport
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. squash — the sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. squash — to crush
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. key — for a lock
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. net — for catching
  18. key — the most important part
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. press — to push
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. press — newspapers
  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