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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: stick · row · net · bore · court · spell · prune · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bore — to tire
  4. press — to push
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. spell — magic
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. court — of a king
  13. net — for catching
  14. bore — to drill
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. spell — a short time
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. press — newspapers
  19. row — a line
  20. court — for sport
  21. spell — letters
  22. court — of law
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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