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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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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: prune · bay · scale · chair · row · shower · bank · press

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. scale — size or range
  4. press — to push
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. shower — rain
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bank — for money
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. scale — in music
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. prune — to trim
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. chair — a leader
  21. press — newspapers
  22. shower — to wash
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. prune — the fruit

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