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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pop — music
  3. press — newspapers
  4. shower — rain
  5. bulb — for light
  6. press — to push
  7. branch — a division
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. cap — of ice
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bulb — for light
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cap — a hat
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bat — the animal
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cap — a lid
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. branch — of a tree

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