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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.

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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: bear · press · shower · patient · key · craft · fall · firm

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. shower — rain
  3. fall — the season
  4. firm — decided
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. craft — boats
  7. firm — a company
  8. craft — a skill
  9. press — newspapers
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. firm — steady
  15. press — a publisher
  16. key — in music
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. key — the most important part
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bear — the animal
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bear — the animal
  23. press — to push
  24. key — for a lock

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