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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. press — a publisher
  3. prune — to trim
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. degree — from a university
  6. kick — in football
  7. press — newspapers
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. scale — in music
  10. mug — a cup
  11. spell — a short time
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. mug — a face
  15. scale — size or range
  16. mug — to rob
  17. prune — to trim
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. spell — magic
  21. press — to push
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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