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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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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 · shower · lean · ground · press · mark · deal · rule

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. ground — crushed
  4. lean — thin
  5. mark — a trace
  6. rule — a law
  7. lean — to bend
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rule — government
  13. deal — to handle
  14. press — a publisher
  15. shower — rain
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. mark — a grade
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. press — newspapers
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — a position

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