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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 120 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bore — to tire
  3. hand — help
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. rule — a law
  7. firm — a company
  8. file — a document
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — decided
  11. hand — in cards
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bank — for money
  15. file — a tool
  16. bank — of a river
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bore — to drill
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bank — for money
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — government

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