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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. march — the month
  4. hand — help
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. march — the month
  9. can — a tin
  10. staff — employees
  11. press — newspapers
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fall — the season
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. can — to be able to
  16. fall — to drop
  17. can — a tin
  18. staff — employees
  19. march — music
  20. fall — to drop
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — to push
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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