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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: file · fan · press · saw · mouse · can · spring · dip

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. can — a tin
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. saw — the tool
  6. press — to push
  7. saw — the tool
  8. file — a tool
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. can — to be able to
  11. file — a line of people
  12. can — a tin
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. spring — the season
  18. press — newspapers
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. dip — to sink
  23. file — a document
  24. mouse — the animal

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