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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. present — there
  3. press — to push
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. present — the time now
  6. press — a publisher
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pop — music
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pop — to visit
  15. press — newspapers
  16. clip — a video
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pop — soda
  23. stem — to come from
  24. present — a gift

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