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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: present · branch · swing · hide · file · press · clip · staff

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. swing — in golf
  3. present — there
  4. clip — to cut
  5. staff — employees
  6. clip — for paper
  7. present — the time now
  8. press — to push
  9. file — a line of people
  10. swing — to play on
  11. press — a publisher
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. branch — a division
  14. swing — music
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. clip — a video
  18. file — a document
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. present — a gift
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. press — newspapers

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