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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: prune · perch · press · ball · bore · fan · pound · last

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bore — to drill
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. ball — a dance
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ball — a great time
  10. last — finally
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. press — newspapers
  14. prune — to trim
  15. press — a publisher
  16. last — to go on
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. last — final
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — a weight

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