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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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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: spell · press · shower · ruler · bound · tube · stand · prune

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. shower — rain
  5. spell — letters
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bound — tied together
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. tube — a container
  12. stand — to bear
  13. prune — to trim
  14. press — to push
  15. spell — a short time
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. spell — magic
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. press — a publisher
  20. tube — the underground
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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