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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. press — a publisher
  3. clip — for paper
  4. field — for sport
  5. clip — to cut
  6. root — the cause
  7. spell — magic
  8. clip — a video
  9. root — of a plant
  10. pop — soda
  11. prune — to trim
  12. spell — a short time
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. field — farmland
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. press — to push
  17. bore — to tire
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bore — to drill
  21. field — a subject
  22. root — of a word
  23. pop — music
  24. spell — letters

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