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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. press — newspapers
  3. shower — rain
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lean — thin
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. lean — to bend
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. spring — the season
  12. band — a music group
  13. press — to push
  14. spring — of water
  15. band — a ring
  16. kick — in football
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. spring — a coil
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. lean — to rest against

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