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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. spring — of water
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. land — ground
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spring — the season
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. spell — letters
  11. bound — obliged
  12. press — newspapers
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. land — a country
  15. bound — certain
  16. toast — bread
  17. spell — magic
  18. land — to come down
  19. bound — tied together
  20. spring — a coil
  21. prune — to trim
  22. vault — a safe
  23. press — to push
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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