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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. can — a tin
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. can — a tin
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. perch — the fish
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. can — to be able to
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bank — for money
  13. band — a music group
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bank — of a river
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bank — for money
  19. firm — steady
  20. press — newspapers
  21. chair — a leader
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. firm — a company
  24. band — a ring

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