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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: tube · press · toast · jam · prune · shower · band · cell

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. shower — rain
  3. band — a music group
  4. prune — to trim
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. toast — bread
  7. shower — to wash
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. press — to push
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cell — in biology
  13. press — a publisher
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. band — a ring
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. tube — a container
  23. cell — a phone
  24. press — newspapers

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