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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 · roll · prune · bowl · rash · sharp · stick · trunk

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. press — newspapers
  3. rash — a series
  4. press — a publisher
  5. roll — a cake
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a list
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. prune — to trim
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rash — hasty
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. press — to push
  24. sharp — with an edge

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