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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. press — newspapers
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wake — a trail
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wound — an injury
  14. file — a tool
  15. key — the most important part
  16. snap — to click
  17. key — for a lock
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. key — in music
  20. file — a line of people
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. file — a document
  24. press — to push

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