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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 120 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: prune · saw · kid · arm · tear · press · bay · ground

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. prune — to trim
  6. tear — from crying
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. ground — a position
  11. press — to push
  12. ground — crushed
  13. kid — child
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. ground — the earth
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. press — a publisher
  20. tear — to rip
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. prune — to trim
  24. saw — the tool

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