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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: wave · race · press · shower · plane · stick

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. shower — to wash
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. race — a contest
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. plane — a tool
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. press — newspapers
  14. shower — rain
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. press — to push
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. shower — a meteor shower

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