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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: toast · mouse · press · nail · pound · tear · rush · fork

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — a weight
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. rush — hurry
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. tear — to rip
  17. press — to push
  18. tear — from crying
  19. press — newspapers
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rush — to hurry

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