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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: shower · row · bowl · hide · file · mate · lash · press

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. mate — a friend
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. press — to push
  7. shower — to wash
  8. mate — a partner
  9. press — newspapers
  10. mate — to breed
  11. row — a line
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. shower — rain
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. press — a publisher
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. file — a line of people
  24. row — a quarrel

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