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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. scale — size or range
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. plane — a tool
  5. scale — in music
  6. press — to push
  7. file — a document
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. march — music
  17. press — a publisher
  18. march — the month
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. press — newspapers
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. file — a tool

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