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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. spring — a coil
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. press — to push
  6. spring — of water
  7. bank — for money
  8. press — a publisher
  9. spring — the season
  10. field — farmland
  11. key — in music
  12. field — a subject
  13. bank — of a river
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. key — the most important part
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. press — newspapers
  19. key — for a lock
  20. rock — a stone
  21. field — for sport
  22. rock — music
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bank — for money

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