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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. fine — high quality
  4. file — a tool
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. press — newspapers
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. branch — a division
  9. spell — a short time
  10. hand — in cards
  11. file — a line of people
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. press — a publisher
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. spell — letters
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. saw — the tool
  19. file — a document
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. spell — magic
  22. hand — help
  23. press — to push
  24. branch — of a bank

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