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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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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: cue · mate · press · date · mine · prune · fall · foot

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cue — for pool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mate — to breed
  7. date — the fruit
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fall — to drop
  12. foot — a measure
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cue — a hint
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cue — a signal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mine — for digging

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