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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. plane — a tool
  3. band — a ring
  4. file — a document
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. hand — help
  7. press — to push
  8. file — a line of people
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. hand — in cards
  11. band — a music group
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mine — for digging
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rock — a stone
  16. press — newspapers
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rock — music
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wound — an injury

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