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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: file · wave · press · rest · bark · racket · cap · ball

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. file — a document
  3. rest — a break
  4. press — a publisher
  5. file — a line of people
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bark — to shout
  9. press — to push
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. ball — a dance
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cap — a lid
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. cap — of ice
  22. file — a tool
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. cap — a hat

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