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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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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: fork · bore · sharp · fine · perch · press · roll · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bore — to tire
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bore — to drill
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. sharp — clever
  15. roll — a list
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. press — newspapers
  18. fork — in a road
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. sharp — with an edge

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