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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 116 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: press · mouse · fan · cold · fork · craft · mate · chair

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. craft — a skill
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mate — to breed
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. fork — in a road
  7. cold — not warm
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chair — a leader
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. craft — boats
  16. mate — a friend
  17. press — to push
  18. press — a publisher
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mate — a partner
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. fan — a supporter

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