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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: fork · pit · face · mine · object · prune · press · rock

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rock — music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. press — to push
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. press — a publisher
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rock — a stone
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. face — to confront
  17. object — to protest
  18. fork — in a road
  19. object — a thing
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. object — an aim
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. press — newspapers

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