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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. prune — to trim
  3. net — after costs
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. net — in sport
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a skill
  11. press — a publisher
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — government
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. press — to push
  24. net — for catching

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