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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: field · staff · press · file · arm · hide · coach · can

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. file — a tool
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. can — to be able to
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. press — a publisher
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. staff — a stick
  13. field — a subject
  14. press — newspapers
  15. file — a document
  16. can — a tin
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. staff — employees
  19. can — a tin
  20. file — a line of people
  21. field — for sport
  22. staff — employees
  23. press — to push
  24. hide — animal skin

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