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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wind — moving air
  3. prune — to trim
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. squash — the sport
  6. press — newspapers
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. land — a country
  9. wind — moving air
  10. sharp — clever
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — a skill
  14. land — ground
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. prune — to trim
  18. land — to come down
  19. content — happy
  20. craft — boats
  21. content — the amount
  22. press — to push
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wind — to turn a key

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