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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: shower · straw · cap · mug · pit · wake · press · bowl

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. press — a publisher
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. press — to push
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cap — a lid
  16. mug — a cup
  17. cap — a hat
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pit — in a race
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. shower — rain
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a face

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