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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: bat · mouse · shower · dip · cabinet · rest · press · root

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bat — the animal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. press — newspapers
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. root — the cause
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rest — what's left
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. root — of a word
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. shower — rain
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rest — a break
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. root — of a plant

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