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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: prune · current · hand · pitch · drill · press · key · bore

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bore — to drill
  4. prune — to trim
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bore — to tire
  8. current — of water
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pitch — completely
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. hand — in cards
  16. key — in music
  17. drill — the tool
  18. key — the most important part
  19. current — electric
  20. hand — help
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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