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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: perch · press · row · capital · rule · rash

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. row — a line
  3. press — to push
  4. rash — a series
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. capital — a city
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. capital — money
  9. press — a publisher
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rule — a law
  14. row — to paddle
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rule — government

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