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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: ruler · straw · march · press · row · trunk · jam · tear

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. march — the month
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. press — a publisher
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. press — to push
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. row — a line
  14. press — newspapers
  15. march — music
  16. tear — to rip
  17. march — the month
  18. tear — from crying
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. tear — from crying
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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