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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: ball · prune · stick · lean · drill · sharp · press · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — in a road
  3. ball — a dance
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. press — to push
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. lean — to bend
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. drill — the tool
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. prune — to trim
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — a publisher
  15. lean — thin
  16. ball — a great time
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. drill — a practice
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. drill — army training
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ball — a round shape

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