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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 116 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 · cold · press · pound · key · tear · rest · safe

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. key — the most important part
  3. pound — a weight
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. press — newspapers
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. key — in music
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cold — an illness
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cold — not warm
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. key — for a lock
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. rest — a break
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. fork — in a road
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. press — to push

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