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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: bank · fork · mate · kick · craft · press · bulb · staff

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bank — for money
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mate — a partner
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. fork — in a road
  9. craft — boats
  10. bulb — for light
  11. press — newspapers
  12. mate — to breed
  13. craft — a skill
  14. press — to push
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bank — for money
  22. staff — employees
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

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