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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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. chair — a professorship
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. spring — the season
  6. wake — a trail
  7. root — of a plant
  8. press — to push
  9. root — of a word
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chair — a leader
  12. root — the cause
  13. press — newspapers
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. prune — to trim
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. hide — to keep secret

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