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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · shower · temple · rash · press · mine · pass · rule

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rule — a law
  7. rash — a series
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pass — a permit
  10. mine — for digging
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rule — government
  17. shower — rain
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. shower — to wash
  20. press — to push
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. press — newspapers
  24. plane — an aircraft

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