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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pop — to visit
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. lean — to bend
  7. press — to push
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. rest — what's left
  13. lean — thin
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pop — music
  16. rest — a break
  17. bound — tied together
  18. press — newspapers
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bound — certain
  21. pop — soda
  22. bass — low music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bass — the fish

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