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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: march · lean · current · bark · file · pit · press · cap

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. lean — thin
  3. current — electric
  4. pit — in a race
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. current — happening now
  7. march — the month
  8. press — to push
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. cap — a lid
  13. press — newspapers
  14. march — the month
  15. lean — to bend
  16. current — of water
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. press — a publisher
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bark — to shout
  21. march — music
  22. cap — a hat
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a 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