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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 · coach · hand · press · spell · game · jam · pound

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. spell — letters
  4. prune — to trim
  5. game — wild animals
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. hand — help
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. game — a match
  11. pound — a weight
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. hand — in cards
  23. prune — to trim
  24. spell — magic

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