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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. press — to push
  3. branch — a division
  4. fine — high quality
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. foot — a measure
  13. fine — all right
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. prune — to trim
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. press — a publisher
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. press — newspapers

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