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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. press — to push
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. prune — to trim
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. perch — the fish
  8. tear — from crying
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wake — a trail
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. tear — from crying
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. spell — letters
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. tear — to rip
  24. spell — magic

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