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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rush · press · bear · capital · mine · lean · ground · prune

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. prune — to trim
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bear — the animal
  5. press — to push
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. capital — money
  9. bear — the animal
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lean — to bend
  15. ground — a position
  16. press — newspapers
  17. prune — to trim
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. lean — thin
  21. capital — a city
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. press — a publisher
  24. prune — the fruit

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