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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: prune · cue · mouse · pop · wound · court · toast · press

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pop — music
  6. court — of law
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. court — of a king
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cue — for pool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. court — for sport
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pop — soda
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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