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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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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: arm · fork · foot · press · wound · rule · band · deal

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wound — an injury
  3. deal — to handle
  4. band — a music group
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. press — newspapers
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. band — a ring
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rule — government
  17. fork — in a road
  18. foot — a measure
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. press — to push
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. foot — part of the body

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