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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: prune · staff · wound · rule · straw · snap · press · mate

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. press — a publisher
  6. prune — to trim
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. rule — a law
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. prune — to trim
  14. press — to push
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mate — a friend
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wound — an injury
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. rule — government
  22. snap — to click
  23. staff — employees
  24. mate — to breed

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