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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 116 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: ground · rash · squash · press · shower · court · snap · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. shower — rain
  3. press — to push
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rash — hasty
  6. ground — crushed
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. court — for sport
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. press — newspapers
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rash — a series
  13. shower — to wash
  14. squash — the sport
  15. court — of law
  16. press — a publisher
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. snap — to click
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. court — of a king
  22. squash — to crush
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. ground — a position

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