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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · fork · rash · club · bear · spell · press · cabinet

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. rash — a series
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. spell — magic
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. spell — a short time
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mine — for digging
  11. club — for golf
  12. press — newspapers
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. spell — letters
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. press — to push
  22. fork — in a road
  23. press — a publisher
  24. club — a group

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