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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 · kid · ground · lean · press · racket · current · rest

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. ground — a position
  4. rest — a break
  5. lean — to bend
  6. current — happening now
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rest — what's left
  9. current — of water
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lean — thin
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. ground — crushed
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. press — a publisher
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. ground — the earth
  20. current — electric
  21. press — newspapers
  22. kid — to tease
  23. fork — in a road
  24. kid — child

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