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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. press — to push
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pop — to visit
  9. spring — the season
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. prune — to trim
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stock — goods
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. press — newspapers
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — a soup base

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