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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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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: coach · shower · rest · press · content · craft · wind · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. shower — rain
  3. rest — what's left
  4. press — a publisher
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. press — newspapers
  7. craft — a skill
  8. press — to push
  9. rest — what's left
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. content — the amount
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rest — a break
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wind — moving air
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. content — happy
  23. craft — boats
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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