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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. scale — in music
  3. cell — in biology
  4. current — of water
  5. tube — the underground
  6. cap — a hat
  7. scale — size or range
  8. current — happening now
  9. press — a publisher
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cap — a lid
  12. current — electric
  13. tube — a container
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cell — a phone
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mate — a partner
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a friend

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