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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: wave · press · date · hand · mate · chair · lean · file

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. file — a tool
  6. hand — help
  7. press — to push
  8. lean — to bend
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. mate — a partner
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. hand — in cards
  17. press — a publisher
  18. date — the fruit
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. file — a document
  22. lean — thin
  23. chair — a leader
  24. mate — a friend

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