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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: press · lean · net · file · wax · date · sharp · roll

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. date — the fruit
  3. file — a document
  4. lean — to bend
  5. file — a tool
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. net — for catching
  8. lean — thin
  9. wax — to grow
  10. net — in sport
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — a list
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. sharp — clever
  19. press — a publisher
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. net — after costs
  22. press — to push
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. file — a line of people

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