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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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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: temple · fork · row · press · bound · scale · stick · race

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bound — certain
  5. race — a contest
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. row — a line
  8. bound — tied together
  9. race — the arms race
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. fork — in a road
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. press — to push
  14. scale — size or range
  15. race — humankind
  16. press — newspapers
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. row — to paddle
  19. scale — in music
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bound — obliged

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