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

Word bank: press · deal · object · shower · pound · file

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. object — an aim
  5. deal — to handle
  6. pound — a weight
  7. shower — to wash
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. press — newspapers
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. object — a thing
  15. press — a publisher
  16. shower — rain
  17. object — to protest
  18. pound — for dogs

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