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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: pop · bass · wake · squash · press · sharp · bulb · hand

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. press — a publisher
  3. squash — to crush
  4. press — newspapers
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — low music
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. pop — soda
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bulb — for light
  15. press — to push
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pop — to visit
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. sharp — clever
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. pop — music
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bass — the fish

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