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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: face · bank · press · shower · rash · stock · swing · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. swing — in golf
  3. face — part of the head
  4. rash — a series
  5. stock — shares
  6. press — newspapers
  7. shower — to wash
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bank — for money
  10. face — to confront
  11. press — a publisher
  12. swing — music
  13. fall — to drop
  14. press — to push
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. swing — to play on
  19. rash — hasty
  20. face — to point toward
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. shower — rain
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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