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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 · prune · march · file · nail · game · mouse · roll

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. march — the month
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. march — the month
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. press — to push
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. press — a publisher
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. prune — to trim
  12. roll — a cake
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a tool
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. file — a document
  19. roll — a list
  20. prune — to trim
  21. march — music
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. press — newspapers
  24. prune — the fruit

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