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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · swing · stick · lean · content · mine · press · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. swing — music
  3. press — to push
  4. mine — for digging
  5. press — a publisher
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. content — the amount
  10. swing — in golf
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lean — to bend
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. swing — to play on
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. press — newspapers
  22. content — happy
  23. lean — thin
  24. mine — an explosive

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