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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. fine — all right
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. press — to push
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. spell — letters
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. press — newspapers
  11. firm — decided
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. fine — high quality
  16. firm — steady
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. firm — a company
  19. spell — a short time
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. spell — magic

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