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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: wake · prune · patient · swing · bound · press · fine · fall

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bound — tied together
  6. swing — music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. press — a publisher
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — in golf
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. fine — high quality
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fall — the season
  20. bound — certain
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fine — all right
  23. prune — to trim
  24. press — to push

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