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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. charge — a price
  4. spring — of water
  5. branch — a division
  6. press — to push
  7. firm — a company
  8. charge — in control
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. firm — decided
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. press — a publisher
  13. spring — the season
  14. prune — to trim
  15. tube — a container
  16. charge — electricity
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to click
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. spring — a coil
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. firm — steady
  24. press — newspapers

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