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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: press · deal · prune · rush · mate · chair · board · rash

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. press — newspapers
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. mate — to breed
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rash — a series
  7. press — to push
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rush — hurry
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mate — a friend
  15. board — to get on
  16. press — a publisher
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rash — hasty
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mate — a partner
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. board — a committee
  24. prune — the fruit

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