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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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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: press · tear · mate · shower · race · net · bank · mouse

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. net — in sport
  3. mate — a friend
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bank — for money
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mate — to breed
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mate — a partner
  14. race — humankind
  15. bank — of a river
  16. press — newspapers
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. race — a contest
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. bank — for money
  23. tear — from crying
  24. shower — rain

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