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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 116 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
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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: mine · straw · rush · file · hand · press · chair · stem

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. press — newspapers
  4. file — a line of people
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. file — a document
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. stem — to come from
  10. file — a tool
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. press — to push
  13. rush — hurry
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. chair — a leader
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. hand — in cards
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. hand — help
  24. straw — a straw man

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