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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 · club · coach · stick · press · march · face · bulb

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. march — the month
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. press — a publisher
  5. face — part of the head
  6. march — music
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. press — newspapers
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. march — the month
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. face — to point toward
  13. club — for golf
  14. bulb — for light
  15. club — for dancing
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bulb — for light
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. press — to push
  21. club — a group
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. face — to confront
  24. bulb — of a plant

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