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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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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: press · dip · shower · nail · fall · board · row · bass

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bass — low music
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fall — to drop
  6. press — to push
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. dip — to sink
  13. board — a committee
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. bass — the fish
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. fall — the season
  19. press — newspapers
  20. board — to get on
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. press — a publisher
  24. fall — to drop

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