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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. capital — money
  5. object — to protest
  6. capital — a city
  7. prune — to trim
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. club — a group
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. club — for dancing
  12. object — a thing
  13. drill — army training
  14. vault — a safe
  15. prune — to trim
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. object — an aim
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. drill — a practice
  20. rush — hurry
  21. press — newspapers
  22. drill — the tool
  23. press — a publisher
  24. club — for golf

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