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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 · spell · bass · press · lie · rule · bound · march

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. press — a publisher
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rule — a law
  9. press — to push
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. march — the month
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bass — low music
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. march — music
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fork — in a road
  21. march — the month
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bound — certain
  24. rule — government

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