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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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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: snap · craft · root · straw · shower · prune · press · ruler

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. root — the cause
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. shower — to wash
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a skill
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. snap — to click
  14. press — newspapers
  15. root — of a word
  16. shower — rain
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. press — to push
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. root — of a plant
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. prune — to trim

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