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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mate — a partner
  4. cell — in biology
  5. drill — army training
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. drill — a practice
  8. prune — to trim
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. mate — to breed
  13. press — to push
  14. drill — the tool
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bulb — for light
  17. clip — a video
  18. mate — a friend
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cell — a phone
  22. press — a publisher
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. prune — the fruit

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