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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: coach · temple · shower · file · press · bass · lean · clip

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. press — to push
  3. bass — low music
  4. file — a document
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. shower — to wash
  12. press — a publisher
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. shower — rain
  17. press — newspapers
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. file — a tool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lean — to bend
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. clip — a video
  24. lean — thin

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