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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: calf · press · last · race · wax · trunk · fork · net

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. press — to push
  3. last — finally
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. press — a publisher
  6. net — in sport
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. race — a contest
  9. last — to go on
  10. net — after costs
  11. press — newspapers
  12. race — humankind
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. net — for catching
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. last — final
  24. race — the arms race

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