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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. lean — thin
  3. file — a document
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. wind — moving air
  9. press — to push
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. press — newspapers
  12. fine — high quality
  13. press — a publisher
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — completely
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. lean — to bend
  22. fine — all right
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wound — an injury

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