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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fall — to drop
  6. file — a document
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. shower — rain
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. file — a line of people
  14. shower — to wash
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. press — newspapers
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — to push
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. wind — moving air

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