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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. prune — to trim
  4. press — to push
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. spell — letters
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rule — government
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. spell — a short time
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. prune — to trim
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. press — newspapers
  22. spell — magic
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rule — a law

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