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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
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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: mate · press · bass · last · craft · wind · cap · file

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bass — low music
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — newspapers
  8. mate — a friend
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. mate — a partner
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cap — of ice
  15. last — final
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cap — a lid
  18. press — to push
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. file — a tool
  21. last — to go on
  22. mate — to breed
  23. last — finally
  24. wind — moving air

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