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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: content · chest · calf · present · shower · press · bark · wave

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. press — to push
  4. present — a gift
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. press — newspapers
  9. shower — rain
  10. bark — to shout
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. chest — of your body
  13. present — there
  14. chest — a box
  15. present — the time now
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. press — a publisher
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. shower — to wash
  24. content — happy

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