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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: fork · rash · cabinet · spell · saw · nail · march · press

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rash — hasty
  3. press — to push
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. press — a publisher
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. march — the month
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. march — music
  12. spell — magic
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. press — newspapers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rash — a series
  22. fork — in a road
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. march — the month

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