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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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468
Word bank
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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. press — to push
  3. prune — to trim
  4. press — a publisher
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. saw — the tool
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. season — in sport
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. press — newspapers
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. season — of the year
  19. prune — to trim
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — child

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