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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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468
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 · bear · press · wake · bulb · march · face · dip

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — in a road
  3. press — newspapers
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. march — the month
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. press — to push
  12. bulb — for light
  13. march — the month
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to sink
  16. march — music
  17. press — a publisher
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bear — the animal

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