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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: wound · prune · stick · date · craft · toast · press · wake

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. press — to push
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. press — a publisher
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wound — an injury
  17. prune — to trim
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. craft — a skill
  22. toast — bread
  23. date — the fruit
  24. wake — a trail

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