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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. prune — to trim
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. press — to push
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tear — to rip
  15. land — to come down
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. tear — from crying
  18. press — newspapers
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. tear — from crying
  24. coach — a trainer

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