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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. rock — a stone
  4. prune — to trim
  5. game — a match
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. wake — a trail
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bound — obliged
  11. press — newspapers
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bound — certain
  15. pound — a weight
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. press — to push
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. press — a publisher
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. prune — to trim
  24. game — wild animals

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