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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 116 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 · bound · net · tube · race · press · rock · staff

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bound — obliged
  3. shower — rain
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — newspapers
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. tube — a container
  8. shower — to wash
  9. race — humankind
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. staff — employees
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rock — music
  14. bound — certain
  15. tube — the underground
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. net — for catching
  19. race — the arms race
  20. net — after costs
  21. rock — a stone
  22. net — in sport
  23. race — a contest
  24. tube — in a tire

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