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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.

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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: fork · rush · band · saw · rock · lean · coach · press

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. press — to push
  3. rock — music
  4. press — newspapers
  5. rush — hurry
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. press — a publisher
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lean — to bend
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. band — a ring
  17. lean — thin
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rock — a stone
  23. band — a music group
  24. fork — a garden tool

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