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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · press · patient · tear · cue · straw

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cue — a signal
  5. press — a publisher
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. press — newspapers
  8. cue — for pool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. prune — to trim
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. cue — a hint
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. press — to push
  18. tear — from crying

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