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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 116 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 · board · wake · field · rash · net · lean · fork

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. press — newspapers
  3. rash — a series
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — a committee
  9. field — a subject
  10. wake — a trail
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. press — a publisher
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. net — after costs
  16. fork — in a road
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. lean — thin
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. board — to get on
  24. press — to push

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