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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 120 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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. prune — to trim
  4. season — of the year
  5. race — a contest
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. club — for dancing
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. race — humankind
  12. mark — a grade
  13. season — in sport
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. club — a group
  16. spring — the season
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pound — a weight
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. prune — to trim
  22. club — for golf
  23. race — the arms race
  24. press — to push

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