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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: tube · press · shower · face · sharp · pass · prune · roll

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. shower — rain
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. pass — a permit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. press — a publisher
  8. face — to confront
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — a cake
  13. press — newspapers
  14. tube — a container
  15. face — to point toward
  16. prune — to trim
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. face — part of the head
  21. press — to push
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — the underground

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