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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. press — to push
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. file — a document
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. root — of a word
  8. game — wild animals
  9. file — a line of people
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. root — of a plant
  12. press — newspapers
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. root — the cause
  19. press — a publisher
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. bark — to shout
  24. game — a match

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