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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 · wind · bear · mine · file · press · suit · nail

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. file — a tool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wind — moving air
  7. press — a publisher
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bear — the animal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. file — a line of people
  13. suit — clothes
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. file — a document
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. press — to push
  24. nail — for a hammer

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