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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 · bowl · net · spell · press · lean · clip · sharp

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. spell — a short time
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. spell — magic
  6. lean — thin
  7. clip — a video
  8. press — a publisher
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. net — in sport
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. spell — letters
  16. clip — to cut
  17. net — for catching
  18. clip — for paper
  19. net — after costs
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — to push

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