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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 116 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: staff · wave · pitcher · spring · prune · mark · hide · press

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. staff — employees
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. staff — employees
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spring — a coil
  10. staff — a stick
  11. spring — of water
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. prune — to trim
  14. press — a publisher
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. press — to push
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. mark — a trace
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. spring — the season

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