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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: wake · date · content · rock · kick · press · file · branch

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. file — a tool
  3. press — a publisher
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. rock — music
  7. branch — a division
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. kick — in football
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. file — a line of people
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. content — happy
  15. press — newspapers
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rock — a stone
  18. content — the amount
  19. date — the fruit
  20. file — a document
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. press — to push
  24. date — on the calendar

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