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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 116 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: shower · press · saw · rush · object · coach · trunk · snap

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. snap — to click
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. press — to push
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. shower — rain
  7. object — to protest
  8. press — newspapers
  9. object — an aim
  10. rush — hurry
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. shower — to wash
  14. saw — the tool
  15. press — a publisher
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. saw — the tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. object — a thing
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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