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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: sharp · press · bat · plane · prune · season · fork · fall

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. plane — a tool
  3. fall — to drop
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. fall — the season
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. prune — to trim
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fork — in a road
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bat — the animal
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — to push

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