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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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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. lean — to bend
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. press — newspapers
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. shower — to wash
  9. press — a publisher
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. pop — music
  13. wind — moving air
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. lean — thin
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. press — to push
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. shower — rain

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