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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: face · march · press · scale · file · kid · stem · fan

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. scale — in music
  3. face — to point toward
  4. kid — to tease
  5. file — a document
  6. scale — size or range
  7. press — a publisher
  8. march — the month
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. stem — to come from
  13. kid — child
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. face — to confront
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. press — newspapers
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. march — music
  22. face — part of the head
  23. march — the month
  24. press — to push

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