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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. content — the amount
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. prune — to trim
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. club — for dancing
  13. content — happy
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. press — to push
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for golf
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wind — moving air
  22. perch — the fish
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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