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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: drill · bound · squash · perch · net · lie · rush · press

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rush — hurry
  4. drill — army training
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bound — tied together
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bound — obliged
  9. lie — to recline
  10. squash — to crush
  11. perch — the fish
  12. drill — the tool
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. net — in sport
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. net — after costs
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. press — newspapers
  22. drill — a practice
  23. net — for catching
  24. rush — to hurry

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