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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 120 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: stem · chair · rock · press · shower · file

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rock — a stone
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. shower — rain
  7. file — a tool
  8. rock — music
  9. chair — a leader
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. press — a publisher

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