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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: suit · fork · stick · perch · press · march

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. suit — clothes
  5. march — the month
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. press — newspapers
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. march — the month
  12. suit — in cards
  13. fork — in a road
  14. suit — to fit
  15. march — music
  16. press — to push
  17. perch — the fish
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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