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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: rush · face · tear · press · object · rest · tube · pound

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. rest — a break
  3. object — to protest
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. rest — what's left
  9. face — to point toward
  10. tube — the underground
  11. face — to confront
  12. press — to push
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. object — a thing
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. tube — a container
  19. pound — a weight
  20. rest — what's left
  21. press — a publisher
  22. face — part of the head
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. press — newspapers

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