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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. roll — a cake
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. roll — a list
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. press — to push
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. press — a publisher
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. press — newspapers
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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