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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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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: shower · bank · can · press · kid · stick · arm · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  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. mate — to breed
  2. can — a tin
  3. shower — to wash
  4. kid — child
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. mate — a partner
  8. press — to push
  9. bank — for money
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bank — of a river
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bank — for money
  15. shower — rain
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. can — a tin
  18. press — a publisher
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mate — a friend
  22. can — to be able to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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