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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: race · lean · shower · press · scale · chair · rule · trunk

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. race — the arms race
  5. shower — to wash
  6. race — a contest
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. scale — size or range
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. race — humankind
  11. rule — a law
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. lean — to bend
  16. scale — in music
  17. press — newspapers
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. press — to push
  21. rule — government
  22. shower — rain
  23. press — a publisher
  24. chair — a leader

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