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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pop — soda
  4. prune — to trim
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. press — to push
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. pop — music
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. capital — a city
  16. pop — to visit
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bound — obliged
  20. capital — money
  21. prune — to trim
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. press — newspapers

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