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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: prune · mark · race · rash · mug · press · fall · current

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — to rob
  4. current — happening now
  5. press — to push
  6. fall — to drop
  7. press — a publisher
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. race — humankind
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. rash — hasty
  12. mark — a trace
  13. current — electric
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mark — a grade
  16. current — of water
  17. race — a contest
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. fall — to drop
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rash — a series
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fall — the season
  24. race — the arms race

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