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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: rush · bark · file · pound · pit · press · land · vault

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. file — a document
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. press — to push
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. vault — a safe
  11. press — a publisher
  12. land — a country
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. land — to come down
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. pound — a weight
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. land — ground

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