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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: sharp · prune · season · cap · pound · scale · press · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. season — in sport
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bear — the animal
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a hat
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bear — the animal
  11. scale — size or range
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cap — a lid
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. sharp — clever
  19. season — of the year
  20. prune — to trim
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. press — to push
  23. pound — a weight
  24. scale — in music

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