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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 120 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: lean · squash · press · rush · content · bulb · spell · club

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. press — newspapers
  3. lean — to bend
  4. content — the amount
  5. squash — to crush
  6. club — for dancing
  7. spell — letters
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. lean — thin
  13. press — to push
  14. spell — magic
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. club — for golf
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rush — hurry
  20. content — happy
  21. bulb — for light
  22. club — a group
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bulb — of a plant

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