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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. band — a ring
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. file — a document
  6. deal — to handle
  7. band — a music group
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. file — a tool
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. vault — a safe
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pound — a weight
  16. press — a publisher
  17. craft — boats
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. craft — a skill
  21. press — newspapers
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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