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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. band — a music group
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. shower — to wash
  8. chair — a leader
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wind — moving air
  11. press — a publisher
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. tube — a container
  18. press — to push
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. press — newspapers
  21. wind — moving air
  22. band — a ring
  23. object — a thing
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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