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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 116 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: tear · cue · mouse · rash · press · rest · branch · board

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. cue — for pool
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rest — a break
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rest — what's left
  8. board — a committee
  9. cue — a signal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. cue — a hint
  12. rest — what's left
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. press — to push
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. board — to get on
  21. tear — from crying
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. tear — to rip
  24. rash — on the skin

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