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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — newspapers
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cap — a hat
  8. press — to push
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. prune — to trim
  11. band — a music group
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — in control
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. charge — a price
  17. tear — to rip
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. fine — high quality
  21. band — a ring
  22. cap — of ice
  23. fine — all right
  24. bat — the animal

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