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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 · press · bowl · degree · firm · cabinet · hide · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. firm — a company
  8. firm — decided
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. press — to push
  12. shower — rain
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. press — newspapers
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. firm — steady
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bowl — to roll

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