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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. season — in sport
  7. current — happening now
  8. pound — a weight
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. press — to push
  11. season — of the year
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wound — an injury
  17. current — of water
  18. wound — an injury
  19. press — a publisher
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. press — newspapers
  22. current — electric
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. hide — to keep secret

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