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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
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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: ball · shower · present · file · bank · press · roll · rest

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bank — for money
  3. roll — a cake
  4. ball — a dance
  5. press — newspapers
  6. file — a line of people
  7. present — the time now
  8. shower — to wash
  9. ball — a great time
  10. present — a gift
  11. shower — rain
  12. rest — a break
  13. press — a publisher
  14. file — a document
  15. rest — what's left
  16. present — there
  17. bank — for money
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. press — to push
  22. bank — of a river
  23. file — a tool
  24. roll — a list

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