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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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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 · bore · wake · straw · cell · prune · rule · bowl

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. press — to push
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rule — a law
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rule — government
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bore — to tire
  18. press — a publisher
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bore — to drill
  24. press — newspapers

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