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

Word bank: press · mate · current · stick · fork · stem

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. current — happening now
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. press — newspapers
  10. current — electric
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. mate — a partner
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fork — in a road
  15. current — of water
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. mate — to breed

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