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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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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: foot · press · rest · fall · swing · rash · hand · tear

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rest — what's left
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — music
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rash — a series
  7. hand — help
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. swing — in golf
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rash — hasty
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. press — to push
  15. foot — a measure
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rest — a break
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fall — the season
  24. tear — from crying

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