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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · press · rash · saw · calf · coach · fan · tear

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. tear — from crying
  3. saw — the tool
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. saw — the tool
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. perch — the fish
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rash — a series
  13. press — to push
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. press — newspapers
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. tear — from crying
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. tear — to rip
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. calf — of the leg

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