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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. clip — a video
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bank — of a river
  5. charge — in control
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bank — for money
  8. rush — hurry
  9. spring — of water
  10. press — newspapers
  11. shower — rain
  12. charge — a price
  13. bank — for money
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. press — a publisher
  17. clip — to cut
  18. press — to push
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. spring — the season
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. shower — to wash
  24. charge — electricity

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