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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. season — of the year
  3. bank — for money
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. season — in sport
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bank — of a river
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. press — a publisher
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. press — newspapers
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rush — hurry
  23. tube — a container
  24. bank — for money

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