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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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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: wind · bear · prune · staff · firm · press · wound · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. prune — to trim
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bear — the animal
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. press — to push
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. firm — a company
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. firm — steady
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. firm — decided
  24. bear — the animal

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