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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.

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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: bat · bore · fork · row · press · staff · file · straw

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bore — to drill
  8. staff — employees
  9. file — a tool
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bat — the animal
  19. file — a document
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. press — a publisher
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to tire

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