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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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468
Word bank
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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. stand — to bear
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cell — a phone
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. press — to push
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. cell — in biology
  19. fork — in a road
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. wound — an injury
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fork — a garden tool

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