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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. season — in sport
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — of the year
  12. press — to push
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. band — a music group
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cell — in biology
  19. band — a ring
  20. shower — to wash
  21. cell — a phone
  22. shower — rain
  23. press — newspapers
  24. spring — of water

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