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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: bat · branch · fork · stick · roll · press · present · bore

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bat — the animal
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — to drill
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. present — the time now
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. present — there
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. press — a publisher
  14. fork — in a road
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. press — to push
  17. present — a gift
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. roll — a list
  24. branch — a division

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