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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: fork · press · foot · mouse · content · racket · straw · spring

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. spring — a coil
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. spring — the season
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. content — happy
  10. fork — in a road
  11. foot — a measure
  12. press — newspapers
  13. content — the amount
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. spring — of water
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. press — a publisher
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. press — to push
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — part of the body

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