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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. current — happening now
  3. spell — magic
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. spell — letters
  6. current — of water
  7. press — a publisher
  8. perch — the fish
  9. spell — a short time
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. press — to push
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. current — electric
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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