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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. row — to paddle
  3. fork — in a road
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. net — for catching
  6. craft — boats
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. net — after costs
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. row — a line
  12. last — to go on
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. date — the fruit
  15. stem — to come from
  16. net — in sport
  17. craft — a skill
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. last — finally
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. last — final
  24. date — on the calendar

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