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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: dip · press · shower · straw · bass · bark · wake · roll

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. roll — a list
  5. press — newspapers
  6. shower — rain
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. dip — to sink
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bark — to shout
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bass — the fish
  14. press — to push
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bass — low music
  19. roll — a cake
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. press — a publisher
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. shower — to wash

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