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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. branch — a division
  3. press — newspapers
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. press — a publisher
  7. face — part of the head
  8. prune — to trim
  9. face — to point toward
  10. tear — from crying
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. shower — to wash
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. prune — to trim
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. face — to confront
  20. tear — to rip
  21. shower — rain
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fall — to drop
  24. prune — the fruit

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