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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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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 · plane · tear · saw · present · jam · prune · stick

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. plane — a tool
  3. press — to push
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. present — there
  8. saw — the tool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. present — the time now
  14. prune — to trim
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. tear — to rip
  18. press — a publisher
  19. tear — from crying
  20. press — newspapers
  21. present — a gift
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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