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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: mouse · press · deal · pitch · cell · shower · key · wax

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. key — the most important part
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. shower — to wash
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cell — a phone
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. key — for a lock
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. key — in music
  20. press — to push
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pitch — a sports field

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