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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: bound · fork · lean · cell · band · rush · spell · press

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cell — in biology
  5. fork — in a road
  6. lean — thin
  7. spell — letters
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bound — obliged
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. spell — magic
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bound — certain
  20. spell — a short time
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. press — to push
  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