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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · pit · press · ground · saw · calf · wake · clip

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. ground — crushed
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. press — newspapers
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ground — the earth
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. press — a publisher
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. clip — to cut
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. clip — a video
  17. press — to push
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — in a race
  20. clip — for paper
  21. ground — a position
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wake — a trail
  24. calf — of the leg

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