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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 116 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: mark · press · hand · land · rash · tear · row · kick

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. hand — in cards
  9. kick — in football
  10. row — a line
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. mark — a grade
  13. press — to push
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rash — hasty
  18. press — a publisher
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mark — a trace
  21. tear — to rip
  22. land — ground
  23. rash — a series
  24. hand — help

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