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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 · press · kick · scale · stick · shower

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. press — to push
  6. shower — to wash
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. scale — size or range
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. press — newspapers
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. shower — rain
  16. kick — in football
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. scale — in music

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