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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 · pitcher · band · dip · sharp · root · toast · prune

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. prune — to trim
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. prune — to trim
  8. band — a music group
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. root — of a word
  14. toast — bread
  15. dip — to sink
  16. press — to push
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. root — of a plant
  19. press — newspapers
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. band — a ring
  23. press — a publisher
  24. root — the cause

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