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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: tear · pop · plane · press · nail · mate · coach · prune

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — to breed
  4. plane — a tool
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. tear — from crying
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. tear — to rip
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. prune — to trim
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pop — soda
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. press — to push
  17. tear — from crying
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. pop — music
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pop — to visit
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. prune — to trim

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