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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: press · wound · wind · mark · file · hand · deal · charge

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wind — moving air
  3. charge — in control
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. mark — a trace
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wound — an injury
  9. file — a document
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mark — a grade
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. press — to push
  16. charge — electricity
  17. press — a publisher
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. charge — a price
  21. hand — in cards
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wound — an injury

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