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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. press — to push
  4. chip — to eat
  5. fine — high quality
  6. prune — to trim
  7. craft — boats
  8. fine — all right
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. prune — to trim
  20. press — newspapers
  21. stem — to come from
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fine — a penalty

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