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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 116 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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Word bank
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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: press · mine · last · root · prune · bank

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. root — of a word
  3. press — to push
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bank — of a river
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. root — the cause
  10. bank — for money
  11. root — of a plant
  12. mine — for digging
  13. press — newspapers
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. bank — for money
  17. press — a publisher
  18. prune — to trim

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