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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: temple · bark · bore · fork · press · bound · chair · sharp

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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 — a publisher
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. press — newspapers
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. sharp — clever
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bore — to drill
  15. chair — a leader
  16. fork — in a road
  17. press — to push
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bore — to tire
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. temple — side of the head
  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