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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 116 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: squash · shower · wound · pop · degree · press · mouse · season

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. season — in sport
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pop — music
  5. squash — the sport
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. degree — an amount
  8. shower — rain
  9. season — of the year
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. shower — to wash
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. degree — from a university
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — to crush
  18. press — a publisher
  19. pop — soda
  20. press — to push
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. degree — temperature
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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