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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: staff · wound · spell · content · press · file · club · date

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. file — a document
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. spell — magic
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wound — an injury
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. file — a line of people
  15. spell — a short time
  16. wound — an injury
  17. press — newspapers
  18. content — happy
  19. club — a group
  20. spell — letters
  21. club — for golf
  22. file — a tool
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. staff — employees

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