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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. prune — to trim
  4. can — a tin
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. snap — to click
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. can — a tin
  11. chest — of your body
  12. press — to push
  13. press — a publisher
  14. drill — army training
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. band — a ring
  17. drill — a practice
  18. press — newspapers
  19. chest — a box
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. prune — to trim
  22. can — to be able to
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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