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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. prune — to trim
  3. suit — in cards
  4. shower — to wash
  5. prune — to trim
  6. track — to keep track
  7. drill — army training
  8. suit — to fit
  9. drill — the tool
  10. track — a path
  11. press — a publisher
  12. saw — the tool
  13. press — newspapers
  14. rock — a stone
  15. drill — a practice
  16. track — a song
  17. shower — rain
  18. suit — clothes
  19. press — to push
  20. rock — music
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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