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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: foot · nail · rash · fork · press · tube · branch · fall

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. press — newspapers
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fall — the season
  6. press — to push
  7. branch — a division
  8. tube — a container
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. fall — to drop
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rash — hasty
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — in a road
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. rash — a series
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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