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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. board — a committee
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pop — to visit
  8. board — to get on
  9. land — to come down
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. pop — music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. cell — in biology
  17. press — a publisher
  18. land — ground
  19. press — newspapers
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — a phone
  22. press — to push
  23. land — a country
  24. pop — soda

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