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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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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: press · scale · mug · tear · race · rock

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. rock — a stone
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. race — humankind
  10. scale — in music
  11. press — a publisher
  12. rock — music
  13. race — a contest
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mug — a cup
  16. race — the arms race
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a face

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