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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.

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: press · last · prune · mine · perch · charge · march · root

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. last — final
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — in control
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. press — to push
  9. root — of a plant
  10. prune — to trim
  11. last — to go on
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. last — finally
  17. root — the cause
  18. march — music
  19. press — newspapers
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. prune — to trim
  22. charge — electricity
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. root — of a word

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