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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.

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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: leaves · fan · file · press · straw · race · chest · squash

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. file — a document
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. press — a publisher
  5. squash — the sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. race — a contest
  8. chest — a box
  9. squash — to crush
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. file — a tool
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. press — to push
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. chest — of your body
  18. file — a line of people
  19. press — newspapers
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. chest — of your body
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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