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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. spell — magic
  3. cold — not warm
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. press — to push
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cell — a phone
  13. spell — letters
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cell — in biology
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. cold — an illness
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. spell — a short time
  24. prune — to trim

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