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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. staff — employees
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cold — an illness
  6. press — newspapers
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. staff — employees
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. press — a publisher
  13. swing — to play on
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. swing — music
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. staff — a stick
  20. swing — in golf
  21. fork — in a road
  22. press — to push
  23. cold — not warm
  24. key — the most important part

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