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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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468
Word bank
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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. file — a document
  3. wound — an injury
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. press — to push
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. press — newspapers
  10. scale — size or range
  11. file — a tool
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. scale — in music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. press — a publisher
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wound — an injury

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