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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: prune · key · foot · fall · trunk · bass · press · deal

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. prune — to trim
  3. key — the most important part
  4. press — a publisher
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. foot — a measure
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. fall — to drop
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. key — for a lock
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bass — low music
  21. press — newspapers
  22. prune — to trim
  23. key — in music
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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