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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: wound · bore · press · current · field · racket · calf · fork

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. current — of water
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. press — a publisher
  5. field — farmland
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bore — to drill
  9. current — electric
  10. fork — in a road
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. field — a subject
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. field — for sport
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bore — to tire
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. current — happening now
  24. press — newspapers

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