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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: hand · pass · snap · prune · present · toast · suit · press

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. press — to push
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. present — there
  5. present — the time now
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. pass — a permit
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. present — a gift
  13. press — a publisher
  14. prune — to trim
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — clothes
  18. snap — to click
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — bread
  21. suit — in cards
  22. press — newspapers
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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