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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  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. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. spell — a short time
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. spell — magic
  8. rash — a series
  9. spell — letters
  10. mark — a trace
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. kid — child
  13. press — a publisher
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. spring — of water
  19. rash — hasty
  20. spring — the season
  21. press — to push
  22. mark — a grade
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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