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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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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: tear · shower · press · date · pound · patient · stand · rest

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. tear — from crying
  4. date — the fruit
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. rest — what's left
  9. press — a publisher
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. press — to push
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. press — newspapers
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. tear — to rip
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. tear — from crying

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