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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: stick · shower · wind · press · snap · deal

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. wind — moving air
  4. press — to push
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wind — moving air
  14. deal — to handle
  15. shower — to wash
  16. snap — to click
  17. press — a publisher
  18. shower — rain

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