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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. stock — goods
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. shower — to wash
  7. prune — to trim
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bass — low music
  10. shower — rain
  11. press — a publisher
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. file — a document
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. press — to push
  17. file — a line of people
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. rush — hurry
  21. file — a tool
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rush — a thrill

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