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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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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: wound · shower · ground · cap · pass · tube · mug · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wound — an injury
  4. shower — to wash
  5. tube — a container
  6. shower — rain
  7. ground — the earth
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. mug — to rob
  12. ground — crushed
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. mug — a cup
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pass — a permit
  18. tube — the underground
  19. press — to push
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. ground — a position
  22. mug — a face
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. wound — an injury

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