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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: press · mug · fork · field · board · lean · net · foot

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. net — for catching
  3. mug — a face
  4. board — to get on
  5. net — in sport
  6. mug — to rob
  7. press — to push
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. press — a publisher
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. press — newspapers
  12. mug — a cup
  13. field — for sport
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. fork — in a road
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — a subject
  21. lean — thin
  22. board — a committee
  23. foot — a measure
  24. net — after costs

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