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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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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 · arm · band · stick · last · file · bore · swing

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. swing — music
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. swing — in golf
  5. press — newspapers
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — to drill
  14. band — a ring
  15. swing — to play on
  16. press — to push
  17. band — a music group
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. last — finally
  21. file — a line of people
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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