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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: mouse · tube · rush · shower · foot · bat · spring · press

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. press — to push
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bat — the animal
  8. spring — of water
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. tube — a container
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. spring — the season
  14. shower — rain
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. tube — the underground
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. press — a publisher
  24. rush — hurry

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