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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: tear · stick · press · rash · shower · wave · ball · cabinet

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. shower — to wash
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ball — a dance
  5. rash — hasty
  6. press — newspapers
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. shower — rain
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rash — a series
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. ball — a great time
  23. tear — to rip
  24. cabinet — ministers

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