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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ground — a position
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. charge — electricity
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bat — the animal
  8. press — to push
  9. tube — a container
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — in control
  12. ground — the earth
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. press — a publisher
  17. tube — the underground
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. press — newspapers
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ground — crushed
  24. fork — to eat with

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