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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: track · tube · shower · current · mine · press · drill · face

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. current — electric
  3. press — to push
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. tube — the underground
  6. shower — to wash
  7. drill — army training
  8. current — of water
  9. tube — a container
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. current — happening now
  14. shower — rain
  15. drill — the tool
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. press — newspapers
  20. mine — for digging
  21. press — a publisher
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. face — to confront
  24. track — a song

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