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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 116 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fall — to drop
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tube — the underground
  6. charge — a price
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. row — to paddle
  10. tear — to rip
  11. charge — electricity
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. tube — a container
  14. press — a publisher
  15. perch — the fish
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. press — newspapers
  18. fall — the season
  19. charge — in control
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. fall — to drop
  22. press — to push
  23. rash — hasty
  24. row — a line

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