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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. fork — in a road
  4. board — a committee
  5. press — newspapers
  6. craft — a skill
  7. board — to get on
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. hand — in cards
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. craft — boats
  14. land — a country
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. land — to come down
  18. press — a publisher
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. tear — to rip
  21. hand — help
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. land — ground

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