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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: leaves · prune · press · hand · ruler · cold · stock · plane

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. ruler — for measuring
  2. press — to push
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. cold — not warm
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. hand — in cards
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. press — a publisher
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. stock — goods
  14. plane — a tool
  15. press — newspapers
  16. hand — help
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stock — shares
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. leaves — to go away
  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