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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: wind · bowl · press · wake · present · shower · rock · content

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. present — the time now
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rock — music
  9. present — a gift
  10. content — happy
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. wind — moving air
  15. content — the amount
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. rock — a stone
  20. press — to push
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. present — there
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. 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