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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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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: bound · race · press · snap · rock · fork · court · prune

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. race — humankind
  4. rock — a stone
  5. court — of law
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. press — a publisher
  8. snap — to click
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. race — the arms race
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rock — music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. court — for sport
  16. race — a contest
  17. bound — obliged
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. court — of a king
  22. press — newspapers
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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