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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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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: shower · press · chest · safe · land · staff · plane · mouse

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — to wash
  4. press — newspapers
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. staff — employees
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. chest — of your body
  9. land — to come down
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. plane — a tool
  13. shower — rain
  14. staff — employees
  15. land — a country
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. staff — a stick
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. chest — a box
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. land — ground
  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