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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 116 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 · pop · kid · fork · fan · press · march · content

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — in a road
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pop — music
  5. content — happy
  6. press — to push
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. march — music
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. press — newspapers
  12. march — the month
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pop — to visit
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. content — the amount
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. kid — child
  20. march — the month
  21. press — a publisher
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pop — soda
  24. leaves — to go away

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