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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fall — the season
  4. press — to push
  5. band — a music group
  6. rash — a series
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. charge — in control
  13. band — a ring
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. charge — a price
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. charge — electricity
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. tear — from crying
  24. band — a rubber band

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