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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: firm · press · wake · saw · bass · shower · rash · can

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. can — a tin
  3. shower — rain
  4. press — to push
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. firm — decided
  7. rash — a series
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. firm — steady
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. press — a publisher
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rash — hasty
  15. can — to be able to
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wake — a trail
  21. can — a tin
  22. bass — low music
  23. shower — to wash
  24. firm — a company

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