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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: lean · cell · shower · press · season · pop · rush · scale

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pop — soda
  5. shower — to wash
  6. lean — to bend
  7. season — of the year
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cell — a phone
  10. lean — thin
  11. pop — music
  12. shower — rain
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. season — in sport
  15. scale — size or range
  16. press — newspapers
  17. scale — in music
  18. press — to push
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pop — to visit
  24. press — a publisher

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