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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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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. ball — a dance
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. press — a publisher
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. capital — money
  10. tear — from crying
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pass — a permit
  13. ball — a great time
  14. press — to push
  15. band — a music group
  16. press — newspapers
  17. tear — from crying
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. capital — a city
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. tear — to rip
  24. branch — a division

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