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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: straw · content · nail · date · shower · sharp · press · wound

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wound — an injury
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — happy
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. shower — to wash
  10. press — to push
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. sharp — clever
  13. press — newspapers
  14. shower — rain
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. date — the fruit
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. wound — an injury
  21. press — a publisher
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. nail — for a hammer

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