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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.

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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. spring — the season
  3. file — a document
  4. spring — a coil
  5. press — to push
  6. press — newspapers
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bound — tied together
  10. dip — to sink
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. shower — to wash
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bound — certain
  18. file — a tool
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bound — obliged
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. press — a publisher
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. spring — of water

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