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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. field — for sport
  3. prune — to trim
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rock — music
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rock — a stone
  8. field — farmland
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fall — the season
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. press — to push
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bulb — for light
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. field — a subject
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. snap — to click

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