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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 120 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: shower · patient · rule · lie · mark · press · dip · wake

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. rule — government
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. press — a publisher
  11. lie — to recline
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. press — newspapers
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. rule — a law
  16. mark — a grade
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. mark — a trace
  19. dip — to sink
  20. press — to push
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. shower — rain
  24. lie — an untruth

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