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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
468
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: track · land · rash · press · cell · squash · lash · mouse

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — newspapers
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. land — to come down
  5. rash — hasty
  6. press — a publisher
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. squash — the sport
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. land — ground
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. squash — to crush
  18. rash — a series
  19. track — a song
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. land — a country
  23. cell — in biology
  24. mouse — the animal

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