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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. key — for a lock
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. last — finally
  5. tube — the underground
  6. shower — rain
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. press — newspapers
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bank — for money
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. press — to push
  17. tube — a container
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bank — of a river
  20. last — final
  21. bank — for money
  22. press — a publisher
  23. last — to go on
  24. shower — to wash

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