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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. tear — to rip
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. press — to push
  5. wound — an injury
  6. season — of the year
  7. tear — from crying
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — to tire
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. ground — a position
  14. season — in sport
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. ground — crushed
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. ground — the earth
  21. tear — from crying
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. prune — to trim

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