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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. press — to push
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mark — a grade
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. vault — a safe
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mark — a trace
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. spring — the season
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. spring — of water
  18. wind — moving air
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. prune — to trim
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pitcher — a jug

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