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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · lean · spell · press · shower · dip · cue · bulb

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. press — to push
  5. cue — for pool
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. press — a publisher
  11. lean — to bend
  12. cue — a signal
  13. spell — magic
  14. bulb — for light
  15. dip — to sink
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. lean — thin
  19. spell — letters
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cue — a hint
  24. spell — a short time

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