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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: track · stick · shower · last · mine · rash · perch · press

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. last — to go on
  4. press — a publisher
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. track — a path
  7. last — final
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. last — finally
  10. rash — hasty
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rash — a series
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. shower — rain
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. press — to push
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mine — for digging
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. track — a song
  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