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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: hide · bound · shower · wave · pound · swing · squash · press

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. shower — rain
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — newspapers
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bound — certain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. press — to push
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — music
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. hide — to keep secret

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