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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. press — newspapers
  3. file — a line of people
  4. drill — the tool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. branch — a division
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. press — a publisher
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. file — a tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. snap — to click
  13. drill — army training
  14. bank — of a river
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. press — to push
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bank — for money
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bank — for money
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. file — a document

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