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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · shower · prune · press · land · ruler · rest · rash

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. shower — to wash
  3. season — in sport
  4. rash — a series
  5. shower — rain
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. press — newspapers
  8. prune — to trim
  9. land — ground
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rash — hasty
  13. land — a country
  14. prune — to trim
  15. press — to push
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. season — of the year
  19. press — a publisher
  20. rest — a break
  21. land — to come down
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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