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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 120 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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — soda
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. tear — to rip
  12. press — to push
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wake — a trail
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pop — music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. land — ground
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bear — the animal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tear — from crying

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