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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: band · cell · hide · press · rock · lash · current · file

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cell — in biology
  5. current — electric
  6. file — a tool
  7. band — a ring
  8. file — a line of people
  9. current — of water
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. press — to push
  14. band — a music group
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. press — a publisher
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. file — a document
  21. cell — a phone
  22. rock — music
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cell — in a prison

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