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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.

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 · mug · cabinet · craft · bound · file · spell · press

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. press — to push
  3. file — a document
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mug — a face
  9. spell — a short time
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bound — obliged
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. file — a line of people
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. lean — to bend
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bound — tied together
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. file — a tool
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bound — certain

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