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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: straw · bark · drill · rule · foot · shower · pass · press

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rule — a law
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. shower — rain
  6. bark — to shout
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pass — a permit
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. press — to push
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. press — newspapers
  18. shower — to wash
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. rule — government
  21. drill — army training
  22. foot — a measure
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rule — to rule out

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