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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: wound · present · file · cold · press · stick · clip · chair

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. present — there
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. present — a gift
  9. file — a line of people
  10. press — a publisher
  11. present — the time now
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. file — a tool
  16. press — newspapers
  17. clip — to cut
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. clip — a video
  20. press — to push
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — a leader
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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