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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 120 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: lie · bay · press · drill · mine · wake · shower · cap

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. drill — the tool
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cap — a lid
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cap — of ice
  18. lie — to recline
  19. press — newspapers
  20. cap — a hat
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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