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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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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 · fork · arm · toast · fan · date · bowl · tear

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. tear — from crying
  3. press — newspapers
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. date — the fruit
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. press — a publisher
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. fork — in a road
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. press — to push
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. toast — bread
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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