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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: nail · plane · straw · press · fork · spring · foot · stick

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. spring — of water
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. foot — a measure
  7. plane — a tool
  8. press — a publisher
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. press — newspapers
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. fork — in a road
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. spring — the season
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. press — to push
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. spring — a coil

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