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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · prune · court · stem · roll · rock · wind · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rock — a stone
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rock — music
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. court — for sport
  9. roll — a cake
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wind — moving air
  12. court — of a king
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. press — newspapers
  15. stem — to come from
  16. roll — a list
  17. court — of law
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. prune — to trim
  20. press — to push
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. press — a publisher
  24. wind — moving air

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