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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rash · pitch · press · wind · ruler · roll · shower · spring

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. press — a publisher
  4. roll — a cake
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. shower — rain
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. spring — the season
  10. press — newspapers
  11. roll — a list
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pitch — completely
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. wind — moving air
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. rash — a series
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wind — moving air
  23. press — to push
  24. spring — of water

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