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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 · bound · row · ball · coach · dip · press · fall

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. dip — to sink
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fall — the season
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. bound — certain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — rain
  10. fall — to drop
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fall — to drop
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. row — to paddle
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bound — obliged
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bound — tied together
  24. press — newspapers

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