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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 116 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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. prune — to trim
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. swing — in golf
  5. suit — in cards
  6. press — newspapers
  7. suit — to fit
  8. march — the month
  9. suit — clothes
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. saw — the tool
  13. swing — to play on
  14. saw — the tool
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. hand — in cards
  20. swing — music
  21. press — to push
  22. hand — help
  23. press — a publisher
  24. leaves — lets stay

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