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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: press · lie · bore · degree · roll · pop · snap · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. degree — from a university
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pop — to visit
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. roll — a list
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bore — to tire
  13. roll — a cake
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pop — music
  16. degree — an amount
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. press — newspapers
  19. snap — to click
  20. bore — to drill
  21. press — to push
  22. pop — soda
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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