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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. press — a publisher
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. press — newspapers
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. branch — a division
  9. key — for a lock
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. key — in music
  12. fall — to drop
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fall — the season
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. key — the most important part
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. fall — to drop
  23. snap — to click
  24. branch — of a bank

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