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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: rush · press · tear · band · kick · mouse · date · file

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. tear — to rip
  4. rush — hurry
  5. tear — from crying
  6. press — to push
  7. file — a line of people
  8. band — a music group
  9. kick — in football
  10. press — a publisher
  11. file — a tool
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. date — the fruit
  15. file — a document
  16. band — a ring
  17. tear — from crying
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. press — newspapers
  24. band — a rubber band

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