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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 120 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. prune — to trim
  3. press — to push
  4. track — a song
  5. drill — a practice
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. track — to keep track
  12. drill — the tool
  13. firm — steady
  14. drill — army training
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. prune — to trim
  17. track — a path
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. press — newspapers
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — a company
  23. press — a publisher
  24. straw — a straw man

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