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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 116 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. file — a tool
  4. current — happening now
  5. band — a music group
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. shower — to wash
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wake — a trail
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a document
  12. press — to push
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. press — a publisher
  16. current — of water
  17. band — a ring
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. shower — rain
  23. current — electric
  24. press — newspapers

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