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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: band · prune · pop · bat · press · suit · ground · mug

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mug — a face
  4. band — a ring
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. press — to push
  8. ground — crushed
  9. suit — clothes
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. ground — a position
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. pop — soda
  14. press — newspapers
  15. prune — to trim
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pop — to visit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bat — the animal
  21. suit — in cards
  22. mug — to rob
  23. pop — music
  24. band — a music group

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