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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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. press — newspapers
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. file — a document
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. cell — in biology
  17. can — a tin
  18. file — a tool
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. can — a tin
  22. clip — for paper
  23. press — a publisher
  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