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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 120 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. spring — the season
  2. present — the time now
  3. spring — of water
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — a weight
  7. march — the month
  8. present — a gift
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. march — music
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. press — a publisher
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. press — newspapers
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. present — there
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. press — to push
  23. march — the month
  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