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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 · nail · rash · pitch · roll · tear · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. roll — a list
  3. fork — in a road
  4. press — to push
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pitch — completely
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. tear — from crying
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a cake
  19. rash — a series
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. nail — for a hammer

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