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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: bulb · arm · bay · press · saw · lean · capital · file

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. lean — to bend
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bulb — for light
  9. file — a document
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. press — a publisher
  16. file — a tool
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. capital — a city
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — thin
  21. file — a line of people
  22. press — to push
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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