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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. can — to be able to
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. can — a tin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. press — a publisher
  7. branch — a division
  8. spell — magic
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. spell — letters
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. press — newspapers
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. press — to push
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. can — a tin
  23. spell — a short time
  24. stem — to come from

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