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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: pop · mine · rule · arm · bound · press · cap · shower

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. press — to push
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. shower — rain
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rule — a law
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. rule — government
  14. mine — for digging
  15. shower — to wash
  16. press — a publisher
  17. pop — soda
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bound — certain
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pop — music
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cap — of ice

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