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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. drill — a practice
  5. hand — help
  6. press — a publisher
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — the tool
  11. shower — rain
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. hand — in cards
  14. press — newspapers
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. current — happening now
  19. rush — hurry
  20. current — electric
  21. ball — a dance
  22. current — of water
  23. ball — a great time
  24. wax — to grow

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