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

Word bank: fall · mark · field · ruler · press · fork

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. field — for sport
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. fall — to drop
  5. field — a subject
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mark — a grade
  8. press — to push
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. mark — a trace
  11. fall — the season
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. press — newspapers
  16. fork — in a road
  17. field — farmland
  18. fork — a garden tool

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