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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 120 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. press — a publisher
  3. last — to go on
  4. lean — thin
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bulb — for light
  8. press — to push
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. last — final
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. press — newspapers
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wax — to grow
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bulb — for light
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bass — low music
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. last — finally

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