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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: stick · mug · roll · staff · fork · race · press · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. press — to push
  3. roll — a list
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mug — a cup
  6. race — humankind
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mug — to rob
  10. press — newspapers
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. race — a contest
  13. saw — the tool
  14. press — a publisher
  15. roll — a cake
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fork — in a road
  18. staff — employees
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. mug — a face
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. 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