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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: fall · prune · press · band · key · board · row · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. band — a ring
  7. key — in music
  8. prune — to trim
  9. key — the most important part
  10. fall — the season
  11. net — for catching
  12. fall — to drop
  13. board — to get on
  14. row — to paddle
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. press — to push
  17. row — a line
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — newspapers
  20. net — in sport
  21. fall — to drop
  22. key — for a lock
  23. band — a music group
  24. row — a quarrel

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