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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: coach · file · wind · press · stem · lean · kid · shower

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. lean — to bend
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. file — a document
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. file — a line of people
  7. shower — rain
  8. file — a tool
  9. shower — to wash
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. press — newspapers
  12. stem — to come from
  13. lean — thin
  14. press — a publisher
  15. kid — child
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. press — to push
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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