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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 120 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: chip · shower · pitcher · object · stand · bark · press · march

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. press — a publisher
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. object — an aim
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. object — to protest
  16. stand — to bear
  17. march — the month
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. object — a thing
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — to push
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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