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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: firm · spell · pop · stem · rush · game · shower · press

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. stem — to come from
  3. press — to push
  4. game — wild animals
  5. spell — magic
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. game — a match
  9. pop — to visit
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — music
  14. spell — a short time
  15. press — a publisher
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. firm — decided
  19. firm — steady
  20. shower — rain
  21. press — newspapers
  22. rush — hurry
  23. spell — letters
  24. firm — a company

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