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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 124 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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. file — a tool
  3. lean — to bend
  4. mark — a trace
  5. file — a line of people
  6. press — to push
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. file — a document
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. band — a music group
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. lean — thin
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. key — in music
  19. mark — a grade
  20. chest — a box
  21. press — newspapers
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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