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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · toast · file · cell · lean · press

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. file — a tool
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. lean — to bend
  5. press — to push
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. press — newspapers
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a line of people
  14. cell — in biology
  15. toast — bread
  16. press — a publisher
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rash — on the skin

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