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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. wake — a trail
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. press — to push
  6. bank — for money
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. kid — child
  9. ground — the earth
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. press — a publisher
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — a law
  14. press — newspapers
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ground — a position
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. mouse — for a computer

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