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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: squash · trunk · press · prune · mine · pop · cabinet · hand

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. press — a publisher
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. press — to push
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — soda
  12. press — newspapers
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. mine — for digging
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — help
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pop — music
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. trunk — of a car

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