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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. press — a publisher
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mine — for digging
  8. prune — to trim
  9. press — newspapers
  10. date — the fruit
  11. present — a gift
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. shower — to wash
  17. present — there
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. shower — rain
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. press — to push
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pass — a permit
  24. present — the time now

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