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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. tear — to rip
  3. press — a publisher
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. prune — to trim
  6. net — in sport
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. net — after costs
  10. cue — a signal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. press — to push
  15. craft — boats
  16. cue — a hint
  17. tear — from crying
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. cue — for pool
  21. press — newspapers
  22. swing — music
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. craft — a skill

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