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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: craft · arm · sharp · pound · rule · rock · prune · press

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pound — a weight
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — boats
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. rule — government
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. prune — to trim
  15. press — a publisher
  16. rule — a law
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. sharp — clever
  19. press — to push
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. arm — part of the body
  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