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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. press — to push
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hand — help
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wind — moving air
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. press — a publisher
  15. hand — in cards
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wind — moving air
  18. ball — a great time
  19. press — newspapers
  20. ball — a dance
  21. rest — a break
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rest — what's left

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