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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cell · wound · press · bore · sharp · fork · field · bound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. fork — in a road
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wound — an injury
  5. press — newspapers
  6. field — for sport
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bound — tied together
  9. cell — a phone
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. press — to push
  17. bore — to drill
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wound — an injury

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