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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: march · press · temple · plane · fall · fork · mate · row

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. row — to paddle
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mate — a friend
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. press — a publisher
  15. fall — the season
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. march — music
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. fall — to drop
  24. plane — an aircraft

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