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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: net · press · craft · rash · prune · shower · last · wake

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. net — in sport
  3. wake — a trail
  4. last — finally
  5. press — newspapers
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. shower — rain
  12. press — a publisher
  13. rash — a series
  14. net — after costs
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. last — final
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. last — to go on
  20. net — for catching
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. press — to push
  23. prune — to trim
  24. shower — to wash

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