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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 · mug · mark · shower · content · tear · craft · spring

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mug — to rob
  3. press — to push
  4. mark — a trace
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mug — a face
  8. spring — of water
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. content — happy
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. spring — the season
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. craft — boats
  17. shower — to wash
  18. tear — from crying
  19. press — newspapers
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. content — the amount
  23. mug — a cup
  24. spring — a coil

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