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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · fan · file · march · saw · press · rest · content

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. content — happy
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. press — to push
  6. march — music
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. lean — to bend
  9. march — the month
  10. rest — what's left
  11. content — the amount
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. file — a tool
  15. march — the month
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lean — thin
  18. rest — a break
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. press — a publisher
  22. file — a document
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lean — to rest against

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