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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: temple · press · scale · foot · wind · saw · snap · shower

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. saw — the tool
  3. shower — rain
  4. foot — a measure
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. scale — in music
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. wind — moving air
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wind — moving air
  13. press — a publisher
  14. scale — size or range
  15. press — to push
  16. press — newspapers
  17. saw — the tool
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. snap — to click
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. scale — for weighing

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