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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: rock · cabinet · press · stem · squash · chest · rash · shower

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. shower — rain
  6. press — a publisher
  7. rash — hasty
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rash — a series
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. chest — a box
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. squash — the sport
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rock — music
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. squash — to crush
  24. press — to push

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