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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 116 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: tear · fall · press · suit · shower · pitcher · craft · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. craft — boats
  5. press — newspapers
  6. fall — to drop
  7. craft — a skill
  8. shower — rain
  9. suit — clothes
  10. tear — from crying
  11. suit — in cards
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. suit — to fit
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fall — the season
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. kick — in football
  24. fall — to drop

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