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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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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: prune · game · row · press · tear · stand · racket · ruler

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. tear — from crying
  3. game — a match
  4. press — a publisher
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stand — to bear
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. press — newspapers
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. prune — to trim
  16. tear — from crying
  17. row — a line
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. tear — to rip
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. press — to push
  23. row — to paddle
  24. racket — for tennis

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