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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 120 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: rash · last · press · capital · bound · stick · fork · fan

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. last — finally
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. last — final
  6. capital — a city
  7. last — to go on
  8. bound — tied together
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. press — a publisher
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rash — a series
  18. bound — certain
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rash — hasty

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