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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: press · present · key · lie · bear · squash · hand · land

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — newspapers
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. lie — to recline
  6. hand — help
  7. land — to come down
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. key — the most important part
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bear — the animal
  12. key — for a lock
  13. squash — the sport
  14. present — there
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. key — in music
  18. land — ground
  19. squash — to crush
  20. hand — in cards
  21. present — a gift
  22. land — a country
  23. press — to push
  24. bear — the animal

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