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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. prune — to trim
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. press — a publisher
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. press — to push
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bowl — a football final

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