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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: wound · lash · track · perch · last · press · shower · pop

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. wound — an injury
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. last — finally
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. track — a path
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. press — a publisher
  14. track — to keep track
  15. last — final
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. last — to go on
  19. perch — the fish
  20. track — a song
  21. press — to push
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pop — soda

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