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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
468
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: hide · nail · press · tube · mug · file · chair · prune

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mug — a face
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. tube — a container
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. prune — to trim
  10. press — to push
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mug — a cup
  14. file — a document
  15. mug — to rob
  16. press — newspapers
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. file — a tool
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. file — a line of people
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. press — a publisher

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