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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 124 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. stock — shares
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. press — newspapers
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. press — to push
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stock — goods
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a city
  17. prune — to trim
  18. kick — in football
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bulb — for light
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stock — a soup base

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