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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. press — to push
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. can — to be able to
  5. prune — to trim
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. prune — to trim
  12. can — a tin
  13. press — newspapers
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. march — music
  16. press — a publisher
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. land — ground
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. march — the month
  21. land — a country
  22. march — the month
  23. can — a tin
  24. sharp — clever

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