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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 120 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: spring · rush · file · face · spell · press · perch · row

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. face — to confront
  3. rush — hurry
  4. spring — of water
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. perch — the fish
  8. row — to paddle
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. face — to point toward
  11. spring — a coil
  12. press — newspapers
  13. spring — the season
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. face — part of the head
  16. file — a line of people
  17. spell — a short time
  18. press — a publisher
  19. file — a tool
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. spell — letters
  22. press — to push
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. spell — magic

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