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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: craft · race · rash · pitch · prune · face · press · ball

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. face — part of the head
  3. press — newspapers
  4. pitch — completely
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. face — to confront
  7. rash — hasty
  8. face — to point toward
  9. prune — to trim
  10. craft — boats
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. craft — a skill
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — a contest
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. race — the arms race
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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