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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. field — farmland
  3. suit — to fit
  4. tear — from crying
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — there
  7. pop — to visit
  8. field — for sport
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — to push
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. prune — to trim
  15. press — newspapers
  16. suit — clothes
  17. pop — soda
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. prune — to trim
  20. present — the time now
  21. suit — in cards
  22. field — a subject
  23. pop — music
  24. tear — to rip

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