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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: press · spring · last · jam · wound · hand · shower · season

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. press — newspapers
  4. last — finally
  5. spring — a coil
  6. hand — help
  7. last — to go on
  8. press — to push
  9. shower — rain
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. last — final
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. spring — of water
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spring — the season
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. shower — to wash
  18. season — in sport
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. hand — in cards
  23. press — a publisher
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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