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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. press — newspapers
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. press — to push
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pass — a permit
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. file — a tool
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. spring — the season
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. spring — of water
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. game — a match

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