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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — size or range
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. mate — a partner
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. lean — to bend
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lean — thin
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mate — to breed
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mate — a friend
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. press — to push
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. cap — a hat
  23. club — for dancing
  24. scale — for weighing

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