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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. prune — to trim
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. shower — rain
  12. field — farmland
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. can — a tin
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. prune — to trim
  17. shower — to wash
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. field — a subject
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. field — for sport

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