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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: rush · pit · fan · plane · pop · shower · rash · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rash — hasty
  4. press — to push
  5. plane — a tool
  6. shower — rain
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rash — a series
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pop — soda
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pit — in a race
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. pop — music
  24. pit — a hole

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