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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.

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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 · staff · land · lean · shower · mouse · sharp · prune

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. press — to push
  5. lean — thin
  6. shower — rain
  7. land — ground
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. shower — to wash
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. prune — to trim
  13. land — to come down
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. press — a publisher
  17. sharp — clever
  18. staff — employees
  19. land — a country
  20. prune — to trim
  21. staff — a stick
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. press — newspapers
  24. staff — employees

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