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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: spring · shower · lie · kick · rush · mark · press · wake

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. press — to push
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. press — newspapers
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. shower — to wash
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. spring — of water
  15. lie — to recline
  16. press — a publisher
  17. kick — in football
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. rush — hurry
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. lie — an untruth

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