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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 120 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: ground · press · craft · bark · last · stand · lean · plane

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. last — finally
  4. press — a publisher
  5. plane — a tool
  6. last — to go on
  7. stand — to bear
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. press — newspapers
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. last — final
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a skill
  15. ground — crushed
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. ground — a position
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  24. bark — to shout

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