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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: prune · snap · field · pitcher · rush · scale · mate · press

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. scale — in music
  6. rush — hurry
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mate — a friend
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mate — to breed
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. prune — to trim
  16. snap — to click
  17. mate — a partner
  18. press — to push
  19. field — for sport
  20. press — a publisher
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. pitcher — a jug

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