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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. press — a publisher
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. press — newspapers
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. lie — to recline
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. field — a subject
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. lean — to bend
  12. file — a line of people
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. file — a tool
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. press — to push
  23. lean — thin
  24. ruler — for measuring

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