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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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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cap — of ice
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — newspapers
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. craft — a skill
  10. fork — in a road
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mine — for digging
  13. shower — rain
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. cap — a hat
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cap — a lid
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. press — to push
  24. craft — boats

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