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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. press — a publisher
  3. squash — to crush
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. ground — a position
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. degree — temperature
  15. plane — a tool
  16. squash — the sport
  17. mine — for digging
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. press — to push
  20. prune — to trim
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. press — newspapers
  23. ground — crushed
  24. prune — to trim

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