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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: ruler · scale · press · arm · tear · wake

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. tear — from crying
  3. press — a publisher
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. tear — from crying
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. scale — in music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. tear — to rip
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. scale — size or range
  16. wake — a trail
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. press — newspapers

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