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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. kick — in football
  3. press — a publisher
  4. saw — the tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. press — newspapers
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. band — a ring
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mate — to breed
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bulb — for light
  20. band — a music group
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bulb — for light
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mate — a friend

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