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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 120 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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. vault — a safe
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. face — to confront
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. press — a publisher
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mine — for digging
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. key — for a lock
  16. face — part of the head
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. key — the most important part
  19. prune — to trim
  20. key — in music
  21. face — to point toward
  22. press — newspapers
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. press — to push

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