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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. press — newspapers
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. spring — the season
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. key — in music
  10. spring — of water
  11. key — the most important part
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. press — to push
  15. prune — to trim
  16. sharp — clever
  17. row — a line
  18. wake — a trail
  19. key — for a lock
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spring — a coil
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. row — to paddle
  24. sharp — with an edge

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