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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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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: bound · firm · sharp · wake · prune · press · field · capital

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wake — a trail
  3. press — newspapers
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bound — certain
  8. firm — decided
  9. field — a subject
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. press — a publisher
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bound — obliged
  15. field — for sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. capital — a city
  18. firm — a company
  19. press — to push
  20. capital — money
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. firm — steady
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. field — farmland

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