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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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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 · cell · prune · bowl · cap · scale · bore · mine

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. mine — for digging
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. prune — to trim
  5. scale — in music
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — to drill
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. press — newspapers
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cell — in biology
  19. press — to push
  20. cell — a phone
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cap — of ice
  24. scale — size or range

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