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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: content · pitcher · bound · fall · shower · wave · stem · press

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bound — certain
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. press — to push
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fall — the season
  12. stem — to come from
  13. content — happy
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. press — newspapers
  18. shower — rain
  19. fall — to drop
  20. shower — to wash
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. content — the amount
  24. press — a publisher

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