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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 · branch · shower · degree · press · prune · hide · chip

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. chip — for betting
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. shower — to wash
  7. degree — an amount
  8. chip — to eat
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rush — hurry
  11. branch — a division
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. shower — rain
  16. press — a publisher
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. press — newspapers
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. press — to push
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. hide — to keep secret

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