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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: kick · mate · press · bank · shower · coach · mug · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mug — to rob
  3. press — a publisher
  4. mug — a cup
  5. press — newspapers
  6. shower — rain
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bank — for money
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. press — to push
  11. shower — to wash
  12. field — farmland
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. mate — a partner
  17. field — a subject
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mug — a face
  23. mate — a friend
  24. kick — in football

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