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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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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 · object · hand · press · cabinet · wave · season · file

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. press — to push
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — a thing
  5. hand — in cards
  6. file — a line of people
  7. object — an aim
  8. hand — help
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. file — a tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. season — of the year
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. season — in sport
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. press — newspapers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. file — a document
  24. press — a publisher

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