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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. prune — to trim
  3. field — a subject
  4. cap — a lid
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. field — for sport
  13. hand — help
  14. cap — a hat
  15. press — newspapers
  16. cap — of ice
  17. press — to push
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. prune — to trim
  21. field — farmland
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. deal — to handle

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