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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: bank · press · squash · saw · cap · face · mark · wind

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bank — for money
  6. press — newspapers
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wind — moving air
  11. press — to push
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. press — a publisher
  15. face — to confront
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bank — of a river
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wind — moving air
  22. squash — to crush
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bank — for money

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