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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: prune · press · shower · pop · snap · cabinet · lash · rest

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. shower — to wash
  3. snap — to click
  4. pop — music
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rest — a break
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. rest — what's left
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rest — what's left
  20. press — to push
  21. shower — rain
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  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