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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: march · press · chest · craft · fork · calf

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. march — music
  8. craft — boats
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. march — the month
  11. press — to push
  12. chest — of your body
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. march — the month
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. press — newspapers
  17. craft — a skill
  18. chest — a box

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