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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 · rock · wind · deal · club · press · current · track

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. press — a publisher
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. track — to keep track
  5. club — for golf
  6. deal — to handle
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. file — a tool
  11. rock — music
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. track — a song
  14. wind — moving air
  15. current — happening now
  16. track — a path
  17. press — newspapers
  18. file — a document
  19. press — to push
  20. wind — moving air
  21. current — electric
  22. club — a group
  23. file — a line of people
  24. club — for dancing

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