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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 120 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a face
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. row — a line
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. file — a line of people
  9. tube — a container
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. press — newspapers
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bulb — for light
  14. file — a tool
  15. mug — a cup
  16. press — a publisher
  17. row — to paddle
  18. press — to push
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. lean — thin
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. file — a document
  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