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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: snap · firm · press · prune · swing · file · shower · pop

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. prune — to trim
  3. shower — to wash
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. swing — to play on
  6. press — a publisher
  7. shower — rain
  8. press — newspapers
  9. swing — in golf
  10. snap — to click
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — to visit
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — decided
  16. file — a line of people
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pop — music
  19. prune — to trim
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. press — to push
  24. swing — music

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