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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 120 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: bank · trunk · bound · press · coach · stick · file · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bound — tied together
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bound — obliged
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bank — of a river
  12. file — a tool
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bound — certain
  18. press — to push
  19. file — a document
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. press — a publisher

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