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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: season · mug · squash · straw · fork · press · face · current

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. squash — to crush
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. press — a publisher
  5. face — part of the head
  6. season — of the year
  7. press — to push
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. current — happening now
  10. mug — a face
  11. press — newspapers
  12. current — electric
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mug — a cup
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. face — to point toward
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fork — in a road
  19. squash — the sport
  20. face — to confront
  21. season — in sport
  22. current — of water
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mug — to rob

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