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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: tube · rash · press · kid · rush · deal · pit · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pit — a hole
  6. press — to push
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pit — in a race
  9. rash — a series
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. tube — the underground
  15. press — a publisher
  16. tear — to rip
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. kid — child
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. tube — a container
  22. press — newspapers
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. deal — to handle

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