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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. press — newspapers
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. press — a publisher
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cell — a phone
  22. press — to push
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pound — a weight

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