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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 · fork · bulb · bound · can · fall · dip · craft

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. press — to push
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. fall — the season
  5. can — a tin
  6. fall — to drop
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bulb — for light
  10. craft — boats
  11. bound — obliged
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bound — tied together
  17. press — newspapers
  18. craft — a skill
  19. can — a tin
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. dip — to sink
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bound — certain

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