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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · rash · press · roll · fine · bear · rush · pitcher

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. fine — high quality
  3. press — a publisher
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. rush — hurry
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. roll — a cake
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. press — to push
  24. fine — all right

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