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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: fan · wound · lean · shower · track · safe · press · jam

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. track — to keep track
  3. press — a publisher
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. track — a song
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. press — to push
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wound — an injury
  14. press — newspapers
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. wound — an injury
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. track — a path
  19. lean — to bend
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. lean — thin
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — a strongbox

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