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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: deal · field · cold · squash · press · trunk · pass · rush

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. pass — a permit
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. field — for sport
  7. cold — not warm
  8. field — farmland
  9. press — to push
  10. squash — the sport
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. squash — to crush
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. press — a publisher
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. deal — to handle
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. field — a subject

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