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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: shower · cabinet · lean · mug · spring · kid · press · calf

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. spring — of water
  3. shower — rain
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. kid — to tease
  9. spring — the season
  10. press — to push
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lean — thin
  13. kid — child
  14. lean — to bend
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mug — a face
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — to wash
  21. spring — a coil
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. lean — to rest against

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