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

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. scale — in music
  3. bank — of a river
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cold — not warm
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bank — for money
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bank — for money
  11. fork — in a road
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. press — a publisher
  15. scale — size or range
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. press — newspapers
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bark — to shout
  23. scale — for weighing
  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