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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 · squash · swing · wake · pitcher · lie · press · firm

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. swing — in golf
  5. squash — to crush
  6. press — newspapers
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. press — to push
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. firm — a company
  14. wake — a trail
  15. firm — steady
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. press — a publisher
  19. shower — to wash
  20. squash — the sport
  21. lie — to recline
  22. firm — decided
  23. shower — rain
  24. pitcher — a jug

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