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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rest · shower · bass · kid · press · wound · current · coach

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rest — what's left
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. press — to push
  8. kid — to tease
  9. rest — a break
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. shower — to wash
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rest — what's left
  15. press — newspapers
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. kid — child
  19. current — of water
  20. wound — an injury
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bass — the instrument

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