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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: chair · firm · plane · bound · rush · tear · press · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. fork — in a road
  5. rush — hurry
  6. press — to push
  7. bound — tied together
  8. firm — decided
  9. firm — steady
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. firm — a company
  12. bound — obliged
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bound — certain
  15. tear — from crying
  16. plane — a tool
  17. press — a publisher
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. chair — a leader
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. press — newspapers
  24. chair — a professorship

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