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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: present · press · ground · arm · stand · squash · mine · spring

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. present — a gift
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. press — newspapers
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. squash — to crush
  8. ground — crushed
  9. present — there
  10. press — to push
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. ground — the earth
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. spring — a coil
  15. present — the time now
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. spring — of water
  20. stand — to bear
  21. spring — the season
  22. ground — a position
  23. squash — the sport
  24. arm — part of the body

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