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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: hand · firm · dip · bass · press · bank · shower · net

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. hand — in cards
  3. press — a publisher
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bass — the fish
  7. press — newspapers
  8. firm — decided
  9. bank — for money
  10. hand — help
  11. bass — low music
  12. shower — rain
  13. net — in sport
  14. firm — steady
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bank — of a river
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. net — for catching
  20. firm — a company
  21. net — after costs
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bank — for money
  24. press — to push

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