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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 116 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. board — a committee
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mate — to breed
  9. press — newspapers
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. scale — in music
  15. press — to push
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. board — to get on
  20. press — a publisher
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mate — a friend
  24. wound — an injury

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