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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: file · fork · march · cabinet · press · bear

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. march — music
  8. file — a document
  9. press — to push
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. march — the month
  13. file — a tool
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. march — the month
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bear — the animal
  18. press — a publisher

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