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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · bark · lash · press · prune · march · cap · shower

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cap — a lid
  3. shower — rain
  4. prune — to trim
  5. tube — a container
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. march — the month
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. march — the month
  11. shower — to wash
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bark — to shout
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cap — of ice
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. tube — the underground
  20. march — music
  21. cap — a hat
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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