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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. shower — rain
  3. cap — a hat
  4. chest — of your body
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bank — for money
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bank — of a river
  9. chest — of your body
  10. charge — electricity
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. cap — a lid
  14. charge — in control
  15. shower — to wash
  16. chest — a box
  17. roll — a cake
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. charge — a price
  20. press — newspapers
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. press — to push
  23. roll — a list
  24. nail — for a hammer

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