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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. swing — in golf
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. stem — to come from
  7. swing — music
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. drill — a practice
  11. press — to push
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. swing — to play on
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. press — a publisher
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. pitcher — a jug

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