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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. chair — a leader
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. roll — a list
  7. shower — rain
  8. tube — a container
  9. shower — to wash
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. saw — the tool
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. tube — the underground
  16. branch — a division
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. press — newspapers
  19. roll — a cake
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. saw — the tool
  24. lash — an eyelash

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