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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: press · capital · perch · firm · date · bass · squash · bore

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. firm — steady
  3. bass — the fish
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. press — to push
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. firm — decided
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. capital — money
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bass — low music
  16. squash — to crush
  17. capital — a city
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. firm — a company
  20. press — newspapers
  21. squash — the sport
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bore — to tire
  24. date — 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