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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cap — of ice
  3. press — newspapers
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. press — to push
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. cap — a hat
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. prune — to trim
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. press — a publisher
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. craft — a skill
  16. wake — a trail
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cap — a lid
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. kid — child
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. craft — boats
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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