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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: net · fork · press · file · date · bank · kid · rock

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bank — for money
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. file — a line of people
  8. press — a publisher
  9. net — in sport
  10. file — a document
  11. press — newspapers
  12. rock — music
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. file — a tool
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. press — to push
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rock — a stone
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bank — of a river
  22. kid — child
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bank — for money

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