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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: press · tear · race · club · bear · bound · fork · lie

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. press — newspapers
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bound — certain
  5. lie — to recline
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bound — tied together
  9. tear — to rip
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fork — in a road
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — humankind
  14. press — to push
  15. bear — the animal
  16. club — a group
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bound — obliged
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. race — the arms race

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