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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: press · spell · shower · snap · ruler · file · season · track

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. file — a tool
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. season — of the year
  5. snap — to click
  6. season — in sport
  7. spell — letters
  8. shower — to wash
  9. spell — a short time
  10. track — a song
  11. shower — rain
  12. spell — magic
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. file — a document
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. file — a line of people
  20. track — a path
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. track — to keep track
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. press — newspapers

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