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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bear — the animal
  3. band — a ring
  4. rash — hasty
  5. file — a tool
  6. bear — the animal
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. prune — to trim
  11. press — to push
  12. press — newspapers
  13. file — a document
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. rash — a series
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. press — a publisher
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — crushed
  22. file — a line of people
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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