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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: press · rush · shower · branch · snap · cap · ground · cue

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. branch — a division
  5. shower — to wash
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. ground — a position
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rush — hurry
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cue — a hint
  15. shower — rain
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. ground — the earth
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. snap — to click
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — for pool

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