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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. hand — help
  3. press — newspapers
  4. prune — to trim
  5. press — a publisher
  6. track — a song
  7. press — to push
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wind — moving air
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wind — moving air

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