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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. file — a document
  3. face — to point toward
  4. present — the time now
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. roll — a cake
  9. stem — to come from
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. press — a publisher
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. present — there
  15. press — newspapers
  16. file — a line of people
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. tear — from crying
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. file — a tool
  23. present — a gift
  24. roll — a list

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