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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bear — the animal
  3. clip — for paper
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. foot — a measure
  8. spring — of water
  9. clip — to cut
  10. object — a thing
  11. clip — a video
  12. snap — to click
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. press — a publisher
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bear — the animal
  17. object — an aim
  18. shower — to wash
  19. spring — the season
  20. press — newspapers
  21. object — to protest
  22. spring — a coil
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. press — to push

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