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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. club — for golf
  3. season — of the year
  4. prune — to trim
  5. season — in sport
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. club — a group
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. club — for dancing
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. press — newspapers
  12. perch — the fish
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. press — to push
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. plane — a tool
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. prune — to trim
  24. plane — in geometry

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