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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. press — to push
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. press — a publisher
  6. land — to come down
  7. pop — soda
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pop — music
  10. press — newspapers
  11. charge — a price
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pop — to visit
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. face — to confront
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. charge — in control
  20. land — a country
  21. charge — electricity
  22. land — ground
  23. face — to point toward
  24. fan — a supporter

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