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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: straw · spell · press · leaves · hand · trunk · file · bass

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a document
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. file — a line of people
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. bass — the fish
  13. hand — in cards
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. spell — letters
  16. press — to push
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. hand — help
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bass — low music
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. hand — part of the body

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