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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: face · shower · toast · rush · branch · season · rash · press

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. season — of the year
  3. face — to point toward
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rash — a series
  6. press — a publisher
  7. rash — hasty
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rush — hurry
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. press — to push
  14. face — to confront
  15. toast — bread
  16. press — newspapers
  17. face — part of the head
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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