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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · press · fork · field · bay · toast · cabinet · hand

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. press — newspapers
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. field — a subject
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. field — farmland
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. field — for sport
  16. press — to push
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. hand — help
  20. fork — in a road
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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