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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: present · file · saw · track · rule · wax · bark · press

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. track — a path
  4. bark — to shout
  5. saw — the tool
  6. file — a tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rule — a law
  10. press — newspapers
  11. track — a song
  12. present — the time now
  13. rule — government
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. present — there
  16. wax — to grow
  17. saw — the tool
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. present — a gift

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