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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: rule · tear · scale · press · bark · shower

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rule — a law
  4. shower — rain
  5. press — to push
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rule — government
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bark — to shout
  12. tear — to rip
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. press — a publisher
  16. scale — in music
  17. press — newspapers
  18. tear — from crying

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