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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: press · ball · lean · rash · date · plane · last · fork

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. rash — hasty
  4. plane — a tool
  5. date — the fruit
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. last — final
  8. ball — a great time
  9. last — finally
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. lean — thin
  16. ball — a dance
  17. last — to go on
  18. fork — in a road
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. press — newspapers
  22. rash — a series
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. lean — to bend

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