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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. scale — in music
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. press — a publisher
  7. tear — to rip
  8. press — to push
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bound — tied together
  21. scale — size or range
  22. press — newspapers
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. nail — on a finger

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