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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: squash · bound · bear · stem · file · jam · press · pit

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. bear — the animal
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bear — the animal
  12. press — to push
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bound — tied together
  22. file — a document
  23. squash — to crush
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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