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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: press · race · tear · bass · cabinet · straw

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. race — the arms race
  4. press — a publisher
  5. tear — to rip
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. tear — from crying
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. press — to push
  12. bass — low music
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. race — humankind
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. race — a contest

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