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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 116 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — to drill
  5. press — a publisher
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. season — in sport
  8. pound — a weight
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — a law
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. prune — to trim
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. season — of the year
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. press — newspapers
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rule — government
  23. bulb — for light
  24. press — to push

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