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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 · fan · cold · clip · foot · can · plane · press

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. can — a tin
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. press — newspapers
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. press — to push
  9. clip — to cut
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. plane — a tool
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. foot — a measure
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. can — a tin
  17. press — a publisher
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. clip — for paper
  21. cold — an illness
  22. clip — a video
  23. shower — to wash
  24. can — to be able to

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