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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: cap · press · pass · prune · rash · bound · bat · dip

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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. pass — to succeed
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bound — certain
  10. press — newspapers
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. press — to push
  16. rash — a series
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bound — tied together
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. dip — to sink
  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