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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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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: temple · cell · fan · vault · press · rash · shower · chest

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. press — newspapers
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. vault — a safe
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. cell — in biology
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. chest — a box
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. fan — a supporter

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