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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: press · drill · cap · pitcher · plane · scale · land · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. press — to push
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — size or range
  5. cap — of ice
  6. press — a publisher
  7. prune — to trim
  8. drill — the tool
  9. plane — a tool
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. drill — army training
  14. press — newspapers
  15. land — a country
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. land — to come down
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. drill — a practice
  22. prune — to trim
  23. land — ground
  24. scale — in music

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