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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: rest · wound · tear · bark · lean · lie · fork · press

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — to push
  5. bark — to shout
  6. rest — what's left
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fork — in a road
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lean — to bend
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. lean — thin
  16. rest — a break
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rest — what's left
  19. tear — to rip
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. lie — to recline
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. lean — to rest against

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