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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · press · cold · craft · cabinet · spring · calf · track

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. craft — a skill
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cold — not warm
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. spring — the season
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. spring — of water
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. craft — boats
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. press — newspapers
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spring — a coil
  20. track — to keep track
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. track — a path
  24. calf — of the leg

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