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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. shower — rain
  3. tube — a container
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tube — the underground
  6. stem — to come from
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. rock — a stone
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. press — newspapers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. shower — to wash
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. press — to push
  21. rock — music
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. press — a publisher
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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