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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 116 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. tube — the underground
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. band — a ring
  9. tube — a container
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. shower — rain
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. hand — in cards
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. press — to push
  24. press — newspapers

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