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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: dip · wake · press · trunk · squash · fine · straw · ball

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. ball — a great time
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. press — newspapers
  20. squash — to crush
  21. ball — a dance
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — to sink
  24. squash — the sport

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