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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: ball · cabinet · hand · craft · snap · shower · mug · press

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. press — to push
  3. mug — to rob
  4. hand — help
  5. shower — to wash
  6. mug — a face
  7. craft — a skill
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. press — a publisher
  12. shower — rain
  13. hand — in cards
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. craft — boats
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mug — a cup
  20. snap — to click
  21. ball — a dance
  22. press — newspapers
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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