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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. club — for dancing
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. sharp — clever
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. club — for golf
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. press — to push
  13. snap — to click
  14. tear — to rip
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. press — newspapers
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. club — a group
  20. branch — a division
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. press — a publisher
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. coach — a trainer

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