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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. band — a ring
  6. press — a publisher
  7. band — a music group
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. spell — magic
  13. press — to push
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. shower — to wash
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. shower — rain
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. spell — letters
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bear — the animal
  24. press — newspapers

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