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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: wake · press · kid · fall · jam · squash · bark · stand

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. kid — child
  3. press — newspapers
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. stand — to bear
  11. squash — the sport
  12. kid — to tease
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. press — a publisher
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. fall — to drop
  22. press — to push
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bark — of a tree

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