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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. stock — shares
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. mug — to rob
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. tear — from crying
  9. press — newspapers
  10. sharp — clever
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mug — a face
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. mug — a cup
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. press — to push
  22. stock — goods
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bat — in an idiom

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