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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  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. press — a publisher
  2. can — to be able to
  3. file — a document
  4. can — a tin
  5. kid — child
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rest — a break
  10. plane — a tool
  11. rest — what's left
  12. file — a tool
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. press — to push
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bound — certain
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rest — what's left
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. press — newspapers
  23. can — a tin
  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