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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. club — for dancing
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. lean — thin
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. can — to be able to
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mine — for digging
  10. press — a publisher
  11. can — a tin
  12. press — to push
  13. can — a tin
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. press — newspapers
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. lean — to bend
  20. spell — letters
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. spell — a short time
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mine — an explosive

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