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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: pound · current · rule · perch · press · squash · board · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. tear — from crying
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rule — government
  10. current — of water
  11. press — to push
  12. tear — to rip
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. squash — the sport
  15. board — to get on
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. rule — a law
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. board — a committee
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. press — newspapers
  24. perch — the fish

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