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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. press — to push
  7. band — a music group
  8. press — a publisher
  9. band — a ring
  10. shower — rain
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. field — farmland
  18. press — newspapers
  19. field — for sport
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. field — a subject
  22. shower — to wash
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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