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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: sharp · plane · fork · bat · march · press · stem · deal

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. sharp — clever
  8. press — a publisher
  9. stem — to come from
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bat — the animal
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. march — music
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. march — the month
  19. press — newspapers
  20. plane — a tool
  21. press — to push
  22. march — the month
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. fork — a garden tool

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