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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. rest — what's left
  3. file — a document
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. rest — a break
  6. lean — to bend
  7. file — a tool
  8. fine — high quality
  9. press — to push
  10. game — a match
  11. press — a publisher
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. press — newspapers
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. fine — all right
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. rest — what's left
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. game — wild animals
  22. land — to come down
  23. lean — thin
  24. file — a line of people

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