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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 116 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: tear · rock · nail · press · cabinet · staff · bear · rule

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rule — government
  4. press — newspapers
  5. rock — music
  6. tear — to rip
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. press — to push
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bear — the animal
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rule — a law
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. press — a publisher
  24. nail — for a hammer

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