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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: shower · capital · row · press · foot · rock · wave · field

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. row — to paddle
  4. field — farmland
  5. capital — money
  6. foot — a measure
  7. rock — music
  8. field — a subject
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. field — for sport
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. capital — a city
  15. rock — a stone
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. row — a line
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — rain
  24. row — a quarrel

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