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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 · scale · temple · board · press · straw · current · pitcher

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. board — a committee
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. current — happening now
  9. scale — size or range
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. scale — in music
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. shower — rain
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. board — to get on
  19. current — electric
  20. shower — to wash
  21. current — of water
  22. press — a publisher
  23. board — a flat piece
  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