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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: file · mine · press · band · ruler · object · wound · cold

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. file — a document
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. band — a music group
  8. press — a publisher
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. object — an aim
  14. mine — for digging
  15. object — a thing
  16. band — a ring
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. object — to protest
  19. cold — not warm
  20. press — newspapers
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. file — a tool
  23. press — to push
  24. band — a rubber band

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