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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: press · spell · rush · prune · kid · court · file · key

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. press — a publisher
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. court — of a king
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rush — hurry
  8. spell — magic
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. court — of law
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. court — for sport
  14. key — for a lock
  15. press — to push
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. key — in music
  19. press — newspapers
  20. prune — to trim
  21. file — a document
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. key — the most important part
  24. spell — letters

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