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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 116 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: pitcher · rule · sharp · last · branch · prune · pound · press

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. branch — a division
  3. press — newspapers
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. prune — to trim
  6. last — final
  7. last — to go on
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. rule — a law
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. prune — to trim
  16. press — a publisher
  17. last — finally
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pound — a weight
  21. press — to push
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rule — government
  24. pound — for dogs

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