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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — to push
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. craft — boats
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. craft — a skill
  21. net — in sport
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. band — a music group
  24. craft — a handicraft

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