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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: hand · lean · mouse · ground · press · file · board · fan

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. lean — to bend
  3. ground — the earth
  4. lean — thin
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. ground — a position
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. file — a tool
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — to get on
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. press — newspapers
  22. hand — in cards
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a document

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