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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: press · plane · prune · hide · mine · shower · rush · lean

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. shower — to wash
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. press — newspapers
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — thin
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. rush — hurry
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. lean — to bend
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — to push

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