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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: cell · perch · press · can · stick · present · rash · squash

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. present — the time now
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. perch — the fish
  8. cell — a phone
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. can — a tin
  12. press — to push
  13. can — a tin
  14. cell — in biology
  15. press — newspapers
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. present — a gift
  18. can — to be able to
  19. present — there
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. press — a publisher
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. squash — to crush
  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