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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 120 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 · snap · row · sharp · press · scale · ruler · foot

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. press — a publisher
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. sharp — clever
  15. snap — to click
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. tube — a container
  21. foot — a measure
  22. tube — the underground
  23. row — a line
  24. ruler — for measuring

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