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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: wound · safe · fork · stand · squash · game · can · press

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. stand — to bear
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. game — a match
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. wound — an injury
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. fork — in a road
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. press — to push
  15. game — wild animals
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. press — newspapers
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. press — a publisher

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