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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: bore · pit · snap · cap · prune · key · wax · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bore — to tire
  6. press — to push
  7. cap — of ice
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. prune — to trim
  10. snap — to click
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. key — in music
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — a hole
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. wax — to grow
  18. press — newspapers
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — the most important part
  22. cap — a hat
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cap — a lid

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