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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. club — a group
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. press — to push
  6. prune — to trim
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. fall — the season
  10. scale — in music
  11. fall — to drop
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fall — to drop
  15. root — the cause
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. charge — in control
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. club — for dancing
  20. charge — a price
  21. club — for golf
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. charge — electricity
  24. scale — for weighing

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