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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: staff · press · fan · content · file · root · wake · game

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. file — a document
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. press — a publisher
  5. wake — a trail
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. staff — employees
  8. root — the cause
  9. content — the amount
  10. press — newspapers
  11. content — happy
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. file — a line of people
  14. staff — employees
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. root — of a word
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. root — of a plant
  19. game — a match
  20. staff — a stick
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. file — a tool
  23. game — wild animals
  24. press — to push

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