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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
468
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 · spell · plane · prune · date · bark · pitch · kid

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. kid — to tease
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. kid — child
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. press — a publisher
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bark — to shout
  18. plane — a tool
  19. spell — a short time
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spell — letters
  22. date — the fruit
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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